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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Korean Embassy to team up for marine cleanup in PH

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Korean Embassy to team up for marine cleanup in PH

Published Apr 29, 2021 03:29 pm

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Korean Embassy in the Philippines are exploring possible areas for collaboration on marine cleanup in the Philippines. 

A clean-up vessel, which will be donated by the Korean government under the KOICA project, is projected to arrive in the Philippines late next year. (Photo: Korea Marine Environment Management Corp./ MANILA BULLETIN)

This includes raising awareness on the issue of coastal and marine conservation in the Philippines where marine plastic pollution is causing environmental damage and posing health risks. 

At present, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korean government’s development cooperation agency, has launched a marine litter management program in the Philippines in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG). 

The multi-year assistance from 2021 to 2025 is focused on establishing a marine litter monitoring system, stationing a cleanup vessel near Manila Bay, and enhancing marine litter management capacity in the Philippines.

“Korea is glad to be contributing to the marine environmental protection in the Philippines, a country widely known for its beautiful coral reefs and aquatic biodiversity. Korea hopes that the marine litter management assistance will help mitigate risks posed by the increasing marine debris problem that many experts claim is undermining the marine landscape of the Philippine archipelago,” said Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Inchul Kim.

A cleanup vessel, which will be donated by the Korean government under the KOICA project, is expected to arrive in the Philippines late next year tentatively upon completion of necessary procurement procedures. The vessel will be the first marine vessel dedicated to collect marine litter in the Philippines.

DENR noted that there is evident presence of marine litters or plastics floating at Manila Bay, exacerbated during the Habagat season (wet season) or strong typhoons, that are washed ashore. 

Meanwhile, as the World Bank Group recently published in March 2021, more than 75 percent of the material value of the plastics, equivalent to $6 billion per year, is lost across three countries of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand due to absence of recycling. 

Under a partnership between the Korean government and the World Bank Group, the World Bank’s study on the Philippines was funded by the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund (KGGTF) in an effort to support the mainstreaming of green growth through the World Bank’s lending operations.

“Korea will continue to take part in the global efforts to address environmental issues through various multilateral and bilateral cooperation, ranging from hosting the upcoming 2021 P4G Summit and collaborating with various UN agencies and international organizations to bilateral development cooperation with the Philippines on the protection of marine environment and biodiversity,” said Ambassador Kim.

Korea will be hosting the “Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) 2030” Summit on May 30-31 in Korea, uniting heads of states, CEOs, investors and civil society leaders.

The Korean government has also been in close cooperation with various other international organizations to contribute to the preservation of marine environment in the region. 

ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said these possible partnerships with Korea on marine litter management would be aligned with the priorities of the ASEAN, under the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment.

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