By Perla Lena/PNA
ILOILO CITY — For the first time, countries from the East Asia will come up with a pledge to support reduction of the marine pollution.
It will be one of the key items that will compose the “Iloilo Ministerial Declaration on East Asian Region, Moving as One to Secure Healthy Oceans, People and Economies”, according to Aimee Gonzales, executive director of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) during a press conference at the start of the East Asia Seas (EAS) Congress in the city, Tuesday.
She said one of the crucial issues lined up for the congress that will end Nov. 30, is on marine pollution and the delegates hope to come up with an action plan on how to “tackle marine debris”.
“This is the first regional declaration of that sort coming from this region which has been identified as a top 10 producers of plastics pollution,” she said.
Atty. Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, Undersecretary for Climate Change Service and Mining Concerns of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said there is a need to enforce the implementation of Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act in the Philippines.
“We have to rely on the capacity and political will of local government units (LGUs) to be able to do that,” she added. With this, she said that they are providing technical assistance to local government units, so they could submit their solid waste management plan.
There are seven important tracks with three to four sessions each track during the entire congress. It will also be highlighted by a ministerial forum and a ministerial declaration.
Gonzales said the topics during the conference are key programs of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDG-SEA), climate change and the region’s response to the issue; sustainable fisheries, blue economy, how countries transition to the blue economy, capacity building and new technology, among others.
PEMSEA council chairperson Dr. Antonio La Viña said this conference goes beyond calls, meetings and rhetoric but will already talk about action.
“The 25-year-old PEMSEA is at its sturdiest and ripe for more innovation, big ideas, inclusive collaboration. It can only get better from here with the help of partners,” he said in his message during the opening program.
He also hoped the “culturally rich and ecologically diverse surroundings will further inspire us to reach our goals of preserving and protecting the seas of East Asia for generations to come”.
“It is also in this region, in nearby Boracay where the Philippine government has expressed strong will to clean and rehabilitate and preserve our environment,” he emphasized.
PEMSEA chair emeritus Dr. Chua Thia-Eng urged delegates to “have more confidence and move long terms objectives further”.
He cited that PEMSEA has taken a strong lead in the sustainable development.
“We should be taking advantage of the gains we have made and move on from here. We should be serving as leaders in this region and also we can help many other counties in other parts of the world that are asking for help,” he said.
The EAS Congress is a tri-annual event participated in by delegates from PEMSEA partner countries to include Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Laos, South Korea, Singapore, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
It also gathered delegates from non-member countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Australia.
