The Philippines will be spending roughly P9.5 billion as its contribution to global efforts of protecting the ocean.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the government pledged the said amount equivalent to 165.56 million US dollars during a high-level luncheon early April in Athens, Greece.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo represented the Philippine government, which will focus on four programs.
The first program is the Marine Protected Areas or MPAs, wherein the Philippines aims to protect a projected 4.85 percent to 15.91 percent of its national waters by 2028 in line with the global goal of protecting 30 percent of land and sea areas by 2023 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, according to DFA.
The second is the “Great Blue Wall Initiative,” which will establish a nationwide network of MPAs to support both conservation and a thriving blue economy.
The third is the “Ocean Science Research Program,” wherein new research stations will be built across the Philippines to gather crucial data which is essential in informed ocean management decisions.
The fourth program is the “Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project,” which is a World Bank-funded project promoting sustainable fisheries management through the development of management plans and conduct of critical habitat studies.
In making the pledge, the Philippines recognized the ocean’s vital role in climate regulation and sustaining the global economy and at the same time understands the need to strengthen global efforts to protect the oceans and marine biodiversity.
Adobo, during the meeting, highlighted the importance of the collective efforts and commitments of governments, organizations, communities and individuals in protecting the oceans and addressing major threats such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution.
He said that the Philippines will actively contribute to such global endeavors through the implementation of various programs, including the four new initiatives.