PEMSEA E-UPDATES Vol. IV Issue 03 March 2003
SOF and PEMSEA Join Hands for Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Development
TOKYO, JAPAN -- Efforts in preserving the marine environment and promoting
sustainable use of coastal and ocean resources were given a boost with the signing of the
Statement of Intention between the Ship and Ocean Foundation (SOF) and PEMSEA last
20 March 2003.
The two organizations agreed to collaborate in promoting the development and
endorsement of a regional strategy for sustainable development of the Seas of East Asia,
and building national capacities, especially at the local levels, to adopt integrated
planning and management of coastal and marine areas. SOF and PEMSEA will jointly
encourage support for the establishment and operation of a regional ocean think tank and
technical working groups to provide recommendations, approaches and methodologies
for the sustainable use of the Seas of East Asia, as well as co-organize related
workshops/forums/conferences, including the forthcoming East Asian Seas Congress
2003.
The Statement of Intention was signed by PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, Dr.
Chua Thia-Eng and Institute for Ocean Policy, SOF Executive Director, Mr. Hiroshi
Terashima.
Japan's Initiatives Complement PEMSEA Activities
TOKYO, JAPAN -- Japan is planning to translate the Sustainable Development Strategy
for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) into Japanese for circulation to various ministries
for comments. This was among the plans of the Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land,
Information and Transport highlighted during a meeting with PEMSEA Regional
Programme Director, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng.
At the same meeting, Vice-Director General, Mr. Shoji Fujii, Ocean Division Director,
Mr. Nobuaki Kon, and Special Assistant to the Director, Mr. Eiichi Muraoka, indicated
Japan's intention to participate in the upcoming Senior Government Official's (SGO)
Meeting. The SGO Meeting will review the SDS-SEA and prepare documents for
presentation to the Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East
Asia which will be held in December as part of the East Asian Seas Congress 2003. The
two groups also discussed ways of strengthening the network of governments involved in
the Oil Spill Preparation and Response project and linkages with PEMSEA, and
PEMSEA's possible involvement in the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention,
expected to be adopted at the IMO General Assembly later this year.
Thailand Develops Ocean Policy
KOH CHANG, THAILAND -- PEMSEA shared its experiences and insights on coastal
and marine policy development during the Joint Expert Consultation on Thai Ocean
Policy held last 25-27 March. Thailand's Ocean Policy focuses on the need to address
multiple use conflicts.
The draft policy document for Thailand represents a comprehensive national ocean policy
review done for the first time, and addressed the need for developing a national coastal
management framework to facilitate the formulation and implementation of integrated
coastal resource management plans at the provincial and community levels.
At the consultation meeting, PEMSEA Senior Programme Officer, Dr. Huming Yu
discussed PEMSEA's efforts in facilitating national coastal and marine policy
development in the region. He highlighted the experiences and lessons learned from the
practices in developing coastal strategies at PEMSEA's demonstration sites, cross-
sectoral policies at the national level and the Sustainable Development Strategy for the
Seas of East Asia at the regional level. The draft Thai Ocean Policy makes special
reference to PEMSEA's Guide for Developing National Coastal and Marine Policy as an
information source.
Fun-run for Nature at Manila Bay
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- About 5,000 stakeholders joined a fun-run in support of
Manila Bay's environment. The 2003 "Takbo para sa Kalikasan" or Fun-run for Nature
held last 9 February aimed at raising funds for the rehabilitation of mangroves in Manila
Bay.
Participating in the 10km run were stakeholders from various sectors that included
government, non-government, youth and business sectors, the military, and communities
from within and outside of Metro Manila.
Staff from PEMSEA's Manila Bay Environmental Management Project and Regional
Programme Office participated in the event, joining in the run along Manila Bay and
setting up an exhibit to raise stakeholders' awareness on the importance of the
environment.
The rehabilitation of mangrove areas is one of the concerns identified in the Manila Bay
Coastal Strategy, as well as in a Refined Risk Assessment conducted by PEMSEA.
Linking LGUs and the Private Sector for Solid Waste Management
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA in cooperation with the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Development Bank of the Philippines
(DBP), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), and Philippine Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (PCCI), is organizing an Investors Roundtable on 6 May at the
DBP Building, Makati City.
The Investors Roundtable is a gathering of industry representatives, businessmen,
financial institutions, donor agencies, policymakers, local government officials and other
key stakeholders. The forum provides the private sector with an opportunity to learn
about local investment projects from representatives of local governments--the project
proponents--who will present environmental investment opportunities as well as
government commitments with the objective of establishing long-term partnership
arrangements with the private sector. The event provides an interactive platform for
building more effective environmental management systems and sustainable delivery of
public goods and services in the Manila Bay region.
Two solid waste management projects will be presented. For Bataan Province, the project
involves a joint venture arrangement for the financing, construction and operation of a
waste collection system, a centralized sanitary landfill to serve the whole province, three
material recovery facilities (MRFs) to serve clustered municipalities, and a transfer
system to haul residual wastes from each MRF to the landfill.
For San Fernando City in Pampanga Province, the project involves waste collection, and
the financing and construction of a MRF, expansion of an existing compost facility into a
large-scale centralized facility, and transport and haulage of residual wastes to the
sanitary landfill in the Clark Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility.
At the roundtable, interested investors and operating companies will be invited to submit
an expression of interest, and present a business proposal to PEMSEA and the project
proponents for consideration, review and selection of a private sector partner.
Bataan and San Fernando City are ideal sites for the environmental investments as both
are located within the Growth Triad Corridor of Central Luzon. Bataan is host to four
special economic zones, including a number of shipping and petroleum-based industries
while San Fernando City is Region 3's institutional center and financial hub.
Interested parties are requested to register in the Environmental Investments Network at
http://way.to/pemseainvestments or contact:
PEMSEA Regional Programme Office
IMO Building
DENR Compound, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City 1101
Tel.: (632) 920 2211 to 14
Fax: (632) 926 9712
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2502, Quezon City 1165
Email: info@pemsea.org
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