ADVOCACY SPEECH AMENITIES INTRODUCTION FOR A COUNTRY WITH A LONG MARITIME TRADITION, IT SEEMS LOGICAL FOR ITS PEOPLE

E TO HAVE A GOOD GRASP AND AWARENESS OF MARITIME ISSUES. HOWEVER, THIS LOGICAL CONNECTION COULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED AS AN ASSUMPTION AT BEST. FOR EVEN WITH THE ARCHIPELAGIC CONFIGURATION OF THE COUNTRY, MUCH OF ITS DEVELOPMENT, AND CONSEQUENTLY SECURITY POLICIES, ARE LANDBASED. TO ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT, I INVITE YOU TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING CONTRADICTIONS: THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND-PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD BANK IDENTIFIED THE PHILIPPINES AS THE COUNTRY WITH THE RICHEST MARINE BIODIVERSITY WITH THE WHOLE ARCHIPELAGO SITTING ATOP THE WORLDS ONLY CORAL TRIANGLE. YET, THIS IS CONSTANTLY THREATENED BY ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED FISHING ACTIVITIES AND MARINE POLLUTION. WE ARE ONE OF THE WORLDS LEADING FISH PRODUCERS ACCOUNTING FOR 2% OF THE WORLD FISHERY PRODUCTION BUT FISHERMEN AND THEIR DEPENDENTS LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE WHERE 75% OF THE CHILDREN IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES ARE MALNOURISHED. WE HAVE ONE OF THE LONGEST COASTAL LINES IN THE WORLD WHICH IS A POTENTIAL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH 62 OF THE 78 PROVINCES LOCATED ALONG THE COAST WHERE AN ESTIMATED 40 MILLION PEOPLE RESIDE. YET, 40% OF THE COASTAL COMMUNITIES ARE CONSIDERED FIFTH CLASS COMMUNITIES. EIGHTEEN OF THE TOP 25 MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN THE COUNTRY ARE IN COASTAL AREAS WITH MORE AREAS EXHIBITING

POTENTIAL FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT. YET, TOURIST ARRIVALS IN THE PHILIPPINES PALE IN COMPARISON WITH ITS ASEAN NEIGHBORS. WE ARE A PIONEER SHIPBUILDER IN ASIA. YET, THE COUNTRYS SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP REPAIR INDUSTRY IS IN A STATE OF STAGNATION WITH MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRYS SHIPPING FLEET COMPOSED OF AGEING VESSELS IMPORTED FROM JAPAN AND OTHER COUNTRIES. THE PHILIPPINES IS THE WORLDS NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF SEAFARERS BUT IT IS ALSO THE WORLDS MARITIME DISASTER CAPITAL WHERE 80% OF MARITIME DISASTERS ARE BLAMED ON HUMAN ERROR. THE PHILIPPINES INTRODUCED THE ARCHIPELAGIC DOCTRINE IN INTERNATIONAL LAW TO PROTECT ITS SOVEREIGNTY, SECURITY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY, YET, THE COUNTRY IS BARELY ABLE TO SECURE ITS MARITIME TERRITORIES AND STILL HAS TO DEFINE ITS BOUNDARIES CONSISTENT WITH UNCLOS. INSTEAD OF THE COUNTRY EARNING FROM MARITIME TRADE, BILLIONS OF PESOS ARE LOST DUE TO CROSS-BORDER SMUGGLING, ILLEGAL FISHING, AND POACHING. OUR COUNTRYS SEAS IS ALSO USED AS THE HIGHWAY FOR INTERNATIONAL DRUG SMUGGLING, ILLEGAL MIGRATION, ARMS TRAFFICKING, AND OTHER TRANSNATIONAL CRIMES AND RECENTLY, INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. THE SEA, FOR CENTURIES, IS THE ONLY THING THAT BINDS THE ARCHIPELAGO. YET, THE MOST BITING IRONY IS WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNANCE, IT KEPT THE COUNTRY AND ITS GOVERNMENT MILES APART. WHEN THE INTERNATIONAL TREND IN MARITIME ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCED TOWARDS NATIONAL AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION, THE PHILIPPINES IS EXPERIENCING A PROLIFERATION OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WITH MARITIME-RELATED FUNCTIONS. AT PRESENT, THE CONTRYS MARITIME GOVERNANCE AND

ADMINISTRATION IS BESET WITH CONFUSION, DUPLICATION OF ROLES 2

AND BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE OWING TO A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INVOLVED IN MARITIME AFFAIRS. ALTHOUGH THE COUNTRY DOES NOT LACK LAWS, POLICIES, AND GUIDELINES PERTAINING TO ENFORCING MARITIME AND SECURITY, PROTECTING ECONOMIC THE MARINE IN ENVIRONMENT, ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT

MARITIME INDUSTRIES, CONSOLIDATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES INTO A SINGLE COHERENT AND COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL STRATEGY HAS NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THUS, THE NEED FOR THE FORMULATION OF A NATIONAL MARITIME STRATEGY BECOMES APPARENT. PURPOSE OF THE POLICY THE FORMULATION OF A NATIONAL MARITIME STRATEGY SHALL PROVIDE A STRATEGIC DIRECTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT, PROTECTION, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE COUNTRYS MARITIME INTERESTS AND MARINE RESOURCES. IT SHALL INSTITUTIONALIZE AN INTEGRATIVE STRATEGY TO HARNESS THE COUNTRYS POTENTIALS AS A MARITIME NATION. IT SHALL SEEK TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUND POLICIES AND RESPONSIVE INSTITUTIONS UNDER A SINGLE NATIONAL VISION AND GOAL. STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THE POLICY AT PRESENT, A STRATEGIC DOCUMENT THAT OUTLINES THE GOVERNMENTS INTENT AND PRIORITIES ARE VIRTUALLY ABSENT. THE 1991 NATIONAL MARINE POLICY FAILED TO PROVIDE THIS OVERARCHING STRATEGY. WHILE NATIONAL LEGISLATION HAS ATTEMPTED TO CRAFT A NATIONAL MARITIME POLICY, THE LACK OF ATTENTION AND PRIORITY FOR SUCH MEASURES HAVE ALL BUT DOOMED SUCH LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS. THUS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO BEGIN WITH THE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT WHO HAS THE CAPACITY TO HARMONIZE EXISTING ISSUANCES. BASED ON THIS CRITERIUM, IT IS THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

THAT IS IN THE BEST POSITION TO SPEARHEAD THIS EFFORT. NO LESS THAN THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. THE EFFORT SHOULD BE HOUSED IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL DUE TO ITS INNATE INTER-AGENCY CHARACTER. ARGUABLY, THE NATIONS MARITIME CHARACTER AND SITUATION WILL EVENTUALLY AFFECT THE NATIONAL SCEURITY SITUATION AND THE MATTER IS WITHIN THE COUNCILS PURVIEW SINCE WE ADHERE TO THE CONCEPT OF COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY.