The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have joined forces to address gaps in protection and conservation of the country’s coastal and marine ecosystems.
In a memorandum of agreement, the two government agencies vowed to establish exchange of technical expertise, information, and assistance on the demarcation and marker buoy installation in marine protected areas; facilitation of capacity-building activities; and development of reporting mechanisms on marine vessel-related incidents, such as oil spills and ship grounding.
The partnership will also streamline joint activities and assistance during water quality monitoring; enforcement of wildlife laws; and marine research expeditions within MPAs, West Philippine Sea, and the Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve.
Joint marine protection activities, such as coastal and underwater cleanups and intensified communication, education and public awareness activities, will also be implemented.
DENR Acting Secretary Jim O. Sampulna said the partnership aims to harmonize the conservation and protection efforts between the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and PCG, particularly in deterring illegal activities within marine protected areas (MPAs) and maintaining the balance and ecological integrity of the country’s marine ecosystems.
“Working hand in hand with PCG will strengthen our capacity to protect our ocean and marine ecosystems moving forward. With alarming threats the ocean faces today, we need collective action to protect it as it ultimately sustains all of us,” said Sampulna.
“Enforcement must be participatory, consultative, science-based, and sustainable. We will be committed. You can count on our sincerity and active involvement in putting this agreement to motion,” PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu said, for his part.