The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) commenced its eighth anniversary celebration for the month of June by commemorating World Ocean Day on June 8, 2021.

The online activity was hosted by the Planning, Monitoring and Knowledge Management Division (PMKMD) and will be followed by various activities which will be led by the Partnership Development Division on June 14 and 15, Policy Development and Coordination Division on June 25, and Administrative, Financial and Management Division on June 28. 

PMKMD showed videos related to the World Ocean Day’s theme: “The Oceans: Life and Livelihood”, which highlighted the importance of the oceans as the source of food of three billion people, its role in the weather, climate change and global warming and others.

The activity also featured the Philippine Rise also known as the Benham Rise. According to experts, it is rich in marine resources like the minerals namely manganese rust and poly metallic sulfides, corals and 170 fish species. 

“We are blessed because our country is rich in biodiversity  and is located in the coral triangle region which is called the ‘Amazon of the Sea’  that is rich in marine resources,” said Desiree Eve Maaño, Chief of the Coastal Marine Ecosystems Management Section of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Chief Maaño, then a NAFC employee, served as a special guest in the activity, also said that these marine resources are threatened due to human actions. She emphasized the importance of banning single-use plastics and urged everyone that the right time to act on these relevant issues is now. 

She also mentioned that PCAF and its Advisory Special Bodies’ efforts through crafting policy recommendations on conservation of marine resources can help the sustainability of the ocean resources. –JB