Pasay City - A national summit for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) which was held on August 2-4, 2023, at MIDAS Hotel, Pasay City was conducted by various national government agencies, private sectors and civil society associations. Lead by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the lead convenor, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), Department of National Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Energy (DOE), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), Fish Right Project, IMPL Project, WWF Philippines, together with the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) along the WPS as co-convenors, the national summit was attended by a total 302 participants from various national agencies, civic organizations and from the local government units composing of 10 provinces, 9 cities, and 115 municipalities along the stretch of WPS.
The said summit entitled “Tugon ng Lokal at Sambayanan: Buhay at Kabuhayan Isang Pagsasama-Sama Para sa Kanlurang Dagat Ng Pilipinas,” was organized by Tanggol Kalikasan and funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to foster cooperation, dialogue, and understanding in navigating the challenges, and opportunities in the WPS. It also aims to build a national constituency composed of all agencies, sectors, groups, and organizations that have a stake in WPS that will move and act for the protection and sustainable management of WPS. Ultimately the national summit aims to have consensus among participants on the state of the environment in WPS, agree on a common vision and develop a plan of action for the protection of WPS.
Dr. Fernando Siringan and Dr. Aletta Yniguez from University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) presented the evolution and development of the WPS and its resources and connectivity. Dr. Ben Malayang discussed the value of WPS. The discussion provides information and appreciation of how important the WPS is. It is not just a body of water with rocks and islands but a natural resource with a robust marine biodiversity that can provide a source of food and livelihood to many Filipinos. It was also discussed in the summit the current situation in the WPS, the threats that it is facing such as pollution and illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing (IUUF), and the opportunities it offers to the people and to the economy of the country. To plan for its protection and sustainable management, there were various presentations of programs and initiatives, followed by the action planning.
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Atty. Jay Batungbakal shared during the dinner talks about our rights in the WPS. It is important for everyone to know our rights in the WPS to establish a unilateral view and goal to protect and sustainably manage the WPS.