GOVPH

The Korea National Maritime Museum in Busan is a world-class comprehensive maritime museum and the only museum in the Republic of Korea that covers the fields of maritime history, maritime science, marine life, and maritime industry based on 5,000 years of maritime culture.

 

The Philippines is home to several ancient shipwreck sites, some dating back to 1600 A.D. that can be used as site areas for further cooperation and technical exchanges on maritime archaeological documentation, studies on ancient maritime trade, underwater conservation, and exhibition of artificats collected from the sites.

 

After the meeting, the Philippine delegation was given a brief tour of the National Maritime Museum of Korea’s special exhibition on the maritime civilization of East Asia and their marine conservation efforts, including the rescue and care of injured marine creatures. END

 

 

The 7th IMDC is the largest and longest-running conference series dedicated to the issue of plastic pollution and marine litter.

 

Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs Maria Angela A. Ponce served as a main panelist in the opening plenary’s multi-stakeholder panel discussion organized by the 7th IMDC in cooperation with the ROK Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the United Nations Environment Program, and the Korea Oceans and Environment Management Corporation. The multi-stakeholder panel aims to bring together representatives from diverse organizations to discuss their contribution to addressing the issue of plastic pollution, protecting the marine environment and the future role of each actor in this context. During the panel discussion, Assistant Secretary Ponce highlighted the Philippines’ National Plan of Action for the Prevention, Reduction, and Management of Marine Litter (NPOA-ML) and emphasized that capacity-building and financing, empowerment of stakeholders, and complimentary legislative action are needed for its effective implementation. She also expressed the importance of science and evidence-based data and research in combatting the complex and multidimensional problem of marine litter.

 

The Philippine delegation likewise meet several Filipino participants during the conference, including environment advocate and TV personality Antoinette Taus who is also the founder of Communities Organized for Resource Allocation (CORA), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating sustainable programs to help solve global issues including marine debris and climate change. END

Deputy Minister Song conveyed that the Philippines can look forward to the Republic of Korea’s expanded programs on marine debris and marine environment conservation with KOICA, especially on plastic pollution monitoring and management. Deputy Minister Song also looked forward to working with the Philippines under the ambit of international governmental organizations where both the ROK and PH are members, including Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).

 

As a response, Assistant Secretary Ponce expressed that both the ROK and the Philippines have aligned priorities regarding maritime cooperation, as the Philippines just released the National Plan of Action on Marine Litter in November 2021. She also expressed the importance of capacity-building on fisheries, ocean economy, and new technology in this field. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega reiterated some points from the PH-ROK maritime dialogue including the need for working group level focal points for cooperation work of implementors on the ground, especially for Fisheries Monitoring. At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed to work closely together for the 2nd PH-ROK Joint Fisheries Committee (JFC) Meeting which will be held in January 2023. It is the next important ocean economy engagement with the Republic of Korea, after the 1st PH-ROK Maritime Dialogue.

 

The JFC is a useful forum to discuss very specific technical cooperation projects such as capacity building, especially training courses which are very important in the ocean economy. END