Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin recently received a landmark report that seeks to strengthen maritime and coastal development in Luzon and other parts of the country.

“The Philippine Blue Economy” is the product of a series of multi-sectoral roundtable discussions that gathered close to 300 stakeholders in the provinces and major urban centers.

Participants came from key sectors of the Philippine blue economy – fisheries, aquaculture and marine-based industries, marine transport, energy, and coastal and marine tourism.

Discussions culminated in a plenary session attended by Bersamin.

The report was turned over to Bersamin by Edicio de la Torre, president of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) based in Quezon City and former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Dr. Cielito F. Habito of the FVR Legacy Initiative.

The World Bank said blue economy is the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem."

Two senators are hopeful that the proposed Blue Economy Act will be recognized as a national priority in President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.

"I’m hopeful that some of the key measures we’ve already filed, like the proposed Blue Economy Act, will be recognized as national priorities," Sen. Loren Legarda said in a statement.

"This bill will use our rich marine resources to drive inclusive economic growth, but it does so while protecting the environment and strengthening our coastal communities' resilience," she added.

"I am very supportive of the Blue Economy Bill; I am also a co-author of it, especially since we are a maritime and archipelagic nation—not only in terms of issues concerning the West Philippine Sea but also in upholding the rights of our fishermen and the health of our marine ecosystem)," she said.