PEMSEA E-UPDATES Vol. VI Issue 05 2005



Bataan Partnerships Continue with New Agreement Signing

MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- Bataan Province continues its environmental management
efforts with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) extension among the
Bataan Provincial Government, the Bataan Coastal Care Foundation, Inc., and PEMSEA
to share resources and work together for the continued development and implementation
of the integrated coastal management (ICM) program in the province.

The signing ceremony was held 12 May at the Manila Polo Club. The signatories
included:

· Governor Enrique T. Garcia, Jr., representing the Provincial Government;

· Vice Governor Benjamin M. Alonzo, representing the Provincial Board (the
legislative branch);

· Mayor Nelson C. David, chair of the League of Mayors (representing the local
government units);

· Ms. Marilou G. Erni, president of the Bataan Coastal Care Foundation, Inc.
(representing the private sector);

· Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, PEMSEA Regional Programme Director; and

· Mr. Kyo Naka (representing UNDP Resident Representative).

In his opening message, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng emphasized the need for coordinating
mechanism, policy and functional integration and collaboration, and the extension of
benefits being derived from implementing ICM across the Seas of East Asia. He pointed
out that Bataan is unique because its ICM program is being implemented jointly by the
local government and the private sector.

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Ms. Marilou G. Erni presented the Bataan ICM Program's past and on-going activities
and achievements. She also presented the organizational structure of the multisectoral
Project Coordinating Committee (PCC) to show that public-private partnership is in place
for the ICM implementation in Bataan. She mentioned that Governor Garcia and herself
participated in the 4th Forum of the Regional Network of Local Governments
Implementing ICM (RNLG) in Bali, Indonesia last April (see related story).

PEMSEA Technical Officer Ms. Maricor Ebarvia presented Bataan's major activities for
the next two years which includes the updating of the Bataan Coastal Strategy, the
Operational Plan for the implementation of the Bataan Coastal Strategy, Coastal Zoning
and Sea-Use Plan, integrated solid waste management system for the province, anti-
illegal fishing campaign, habitat restoration and protection, and supplemental/alternative
livelihood programs. It was also mentioned that Bataan is a key player in the Manila Bay
Environmental Management Project. The on-going activities in Manila Bay (e.g.,
Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy, Environmental and Resource
Valuation, Integrated Environmental Monitoring Program, Oil Spill Contingency Plan)
were also presented.

Governor Garcia, gave the closing remarks. In addition to the roles and responsibilities
committed by the Provincial government in the MOA, the governor has committed 20
percent of the local development fund to the implementation of the ICM project. He
emphasized the need to curb illegal fishing and has mobilized the mayors and fisherfolk
to work with him for the anti-illegal fishing campaign. He will also use the SMS to allow
people to report crimes and illegal fishing activities. The coastal-use zoning plan and
solid waste management system are also major activities that he will push because of
their long-term impacts.

Witnessing the MOA signing were Alyansa ng mga Mangingisda ng Bataan (Alliance of
Bataan Fishers) President, Mr. Ben Aquino, three mayors representing their respective
municipal clusters of Bataan Province, and the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) Secretary Michael T. Defensor.

Congressman Albert Garcia of the second district of Bataan and eight of the 12 mayors
were present during the MOA signing. Also witnesses to the event were presidents and
vice presidents of major financing institutions and companies.

The Province of Bataan realized early on the need to apply integrated approaches in
managing its coastal environment. On its own initiative and using its own financial
resources in partnership with the Bataan Coastal Care Foundation, Bataan commenced its
ICM efforts with PEMSEA providing technical assistance, and became the first PEMSEA
ICM parallel site.

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Initial Steps Made for Ocean Governance Milestone through Working Group
Meeting

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- Over 20 government experts from 11 PEMSEA
participating countries, along with a representative from the United Nations Development
Programme (Manila), convened in Manila for the Working Group Meeting on the
Regional Implementing Mechanism for the Sustainable Development Strategy for the
Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). Organized by the PEMSEA Regional Programme Office,
the Working Group Meeting was held at the Westin Philippine Plaza on 16-18 May, and
was hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines.

The event produced two draft documents of importance: the PEMSEA Partnership
Operating Arrangements, which provides detailed steps on transforming the existing
project-based PEMSEA arrangement into a self-sustaining regional implementing
mechanism for the SDS-SEA; and the Partnership Agreement on the Implementation of
the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia which, if adopted by the
East Asian Countries in 2006, will set a new milestone in the region's coastal and ocean
governance. The draft documents prepared during the meeting were endorsed for
consideration in the 11th PEMSEA Programme Steering Committee Meeting, to be held
in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in August.

In particular, the two documents will serve as basis for the transformation of the existing
PEMSEA Programme Steering Committee (PSC) into an East Asian Seas (EAS)
Partnership Council, development of a self-sustaining PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF),
establishment of a Regional Partnership Fund, and setting-up of a three-year cycle
regional congress patterned after the East Asian Seas Congress 2003.

The meeting also discussed the country support for the Regional Mechanism for the
Implementation of the SDS-SEA particularly for the operationalization of the PEMSEA
Resource Facility.

The Meeting was considered as a critical step in improving coastal and ocean governance
in East Asia. The proposed transformation is considered to create a paradigm shift in the
way the East Asian seas is governed, strengthening the partnership approach by moving
from donor-driven to country-driven activities, from government dependent to

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stakeholder dependent, and from single sector management approach to integrated coastal
and ocean governance.

The SDS-SEA was adopted by the 12 governments of the East Asian region in December
2003 with the signing of the Putrajaya Declaration by ministers and senior officials of
PEMSEA participating countries.

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Investors Explore PPP Opportunities in Danang City

DANANG, VIETNAM -- Two companies visited Danang City on 10-11 May to evaluate
opportunities for public-private partnership (PPP), namely an industrial wastewater
treatment facility to serve the 2000 industrial plants in Hoa Khanh Industrial Zone, and a
hazardous waste collection and treatment system for the City. The site visit was arranged
by the PEMSEA Regional Programme Office, and coordinated locally by the Project
Management Office (PMO) of the Danang National ICM Demonstration Site.

The two companies visiting the site were SembCorp Industries, Singapore, and Coffey
MPW Pty Ltd, Australia.

SembCorp Industries (SCI) is a leading player in infrastructure services in Asia. Listed on
the main board of the Singapore Exchange, the environmental management services arm
of SCI, SembCorp Environmental Management (SembEnviro), is the largest waste
management company in Singapore and the second largest environmental services
company in Australia. It offers integrated solutions for waste treatment and
environmental project management, catering to the municipal, industrial, commercial and
healthcare sectors. SembEnviro also has a market presence in Malaysia and China.

Coffey MPW Pty Ltd is a member of the Coffey Group of Companies, established in
Australia in 1959 and now one of the leading domestic and international consulting
organizations listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Coffey's specific areas of
expertise are water, community health and HIV/AIDS, environment and natural resource
management, and institutional strengthening and social development. Coffey MPW
specializes in the design and implementation of development projects in South and
Southeast Asia, East and Central Asia, the Pacific region and Africa.

In Danang, the representatives of the two companies spent the first day visiting the
proposed locations for the two facilities, as well as the various companies and hospitals
generating industrial and hazardous wastes. The tour provided the companies with an
opportunity to ask questions to the various managers and operators of the facilities, and to
get a good feeling of the challenges and opportunities.

The second day involved a roundtable between the local project proponents and the
private sector. The Urban Environment Company (URENCO) is representing the Danang

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People's Committee as the local partner for the hazardous waste management project,
while the Danang Industrial Zone Infrastructure Company (DAIZICO) is the local partner
for the industrial wastewater facility. During the roundtable, issues such as enforcement
of regulations, the implementation of user pay schemes, incentive programs for foreign
investors, and proposed partnership arrangements were discussed.

Hoa Khanh Industrial Zone currently has 174 investment projects with investment capital
of 3,240.532 billion VND (US$ 273.12 million). Fifty industrial plants are currently
operating on the site, employing 27,705 employees. Another 47 plants are under
construction. The proposed treatment facility will initially operate at 5,000 m3/day,
expanding to 15,000 m3/day as the industrial park reaches its full capacity.

URENCO currently collects an estimated 520 tonnes/day of unsegregated solid waste in
the City, with the majority of medical waste being co-disposed with the municipal solid
waste. The proposed project will emphasize segregation of hazardous and non-hazardous
waste at-source, and the provision of hazardous waste collection, processing and disposal
services.

From the tour, it was apparent that Danang City is very progressive with regard to
sustainable development, undertaking a number of projects that emphasize social and
environmental development in parallel to economic development (e.g., coastal road; river
park; sewage treatment; sanitary landfill development).

The two-day visit provided the potential investors with first-hand experience and
understanding of the political, social, economic and environmental situation in Danang
City. The companies were invited to submit their Partnership Proposals to the PEMSEA
RPO by 31 July.

Investors and operating companies interested in learning more about the Danang City
PPP project, or other investment projects that PEMSEA is developing in the region, can
contact the Environmental Investments Unit, PEMSEA RPO or visit the PEMSEA
website at www.pemsea.org.

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MBEMP Celebrates Earth Day 2005 with Cavite River Cleanup

CAVITE, PHILIPPINES -- In celebration of Earth Day 2005, the Manila Bay
Environmental Management Project (MBEMP), together with local officials, fisherfolk
volunteers and other stakeholders, conducted a river cleanup in the town of Kawit in
Cavite Province on 22 April.

The cleanup activity began with a short program where local Kawit officials and
MBEMP staff reminded the clean-up participants on the importance of maintaining a
healthy and clean environment, and on the need to reuse and recycle plastic wastes,
which is a major solid waste problem in Kawit.

For the sustainablity of the river clean-up effort, the MBEMP turned-over supplies of
spades, rakes and scoops to Kawit officals after the program. The officials in turn
provided bamboo poles and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes which the volunteers used to
build garbage blocks to limit the spread of solid wastes throughout the river bank. The
river in Kawit drains into Manila Bay.

Fishing boats manned by volunteer fishers plied the river to assist in the cleanup, which
targeted floating plastic bags.

With working partnerships, Kawit stakeholders are hoping that the vision of a clean and
healthy Manila Bay can be attained in the not so distant future.

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MBEMP Showcases Week-Long Exhibit

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- The Manila Bay Environmental Management Project
(MBEMP) conducted a week-long exhibit on the importance of Manila Bay and the need
for the bay's continued environmental management. Titled Manila Bay, Isa Kang Obra
Maestra! (Manila Bay, A Masterpiece), the exhibit was made in celebration of Earth Day
2005 and ran from 18-22 April at the Main Lobby of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City.

The exhibit was launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by DENR Undersecretary
for Management and Technical Services, Mr. Armando A. De Castro and PEMSEA
Regional Programme Director, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng.

In their respective messages to stakeholders witnessing the launch, Undersecretary De
Castro expressed appreciation for the efforts of the MBEMP and its partners in
rehabilitating Manila Bay and its adjoining watersheds. The undersecretary likewise
commended the efforts made for the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of Manila Bay
and pledged to draft a policy that will make ERA a tool in environmental decisionmaking.
Dr. Chua followed with a message of support for the project and encouraged the MBEMP
to strengthen the rehabilitation of the bay and its watersheds.

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PEMSEA Shares Experience with PERSGA at the Aqaba Retreat

AQABA, JORDAN -- The PEMSEA experience in the Seas of East Asia serves as
valuable information to the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the
Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA). This was expressed by the
staff and national focal points of PERSGA after listening to the presentation of Dr. Chua
Thia-Eng, PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, during the PERSGA retreat held in
Aqaba, Jordan, from May 21-24.

The retreat was organized by PERSGA with the aim to provide a venue for members of
their National Focal Points and Task Force to discuss PERSGA's future role, particularly
its institutional and financial arrangements. Many of the participants believe that
PEMSEA experiences, which are mostly similar with those of PERSGA, would serve as
useful information in mapping PERSGA's future direction.

PERSGA is an intergovernmental body established through the regional Convention for
the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, known as the Jeddah Convention,
signed in 1982. The organization is composed of seven member-states: Djibouti, Egypt,
Jordan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia currently hosts the Secretariat. The programme is being supported by the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the implementation of the Strategic Action
Programme for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. PERSGA was organized to oversee the
conservation of the coastal and marine environments in the region. Since its creation, the
organization has gained significant achievements, in particular, it has been instrumental
in the development of international laws for the environment of the region and has played
an important role in the promotion of regional cooperation and activities against marine
pollution.

To further develop the organization's capacity and efficiency, PERSGA is also looking
into the possibility of establishing a tie-up with PEMSEA in the future. The good
relationship between PERSGA and PEMSEA started when PERSGA participated in the
PEMSEA ICM Training Workshop held in Manila, Philippines and Xiamen, China in
2004. Both programmes expect to further build a stronger collaboration in the future.

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RO Korea Workshop Sheds Light on Ecosystem Management Approaches and
Partnership Arrangements

MASAN, RO KOREA -- Bohai Sea, Seto Inland Sea, Jakarta Bay, Manila Bay, Masan-
Chinhae Bay and Chesapeake Bay would serve as the core sites for knowledge sharing
and mutual assistance (twinning arrangements) in the application of ecosystem
management approaches to coastal and marine water resource problems. This was the
theme of the Workshop on Ecosystem Management of Interrelated River Basins,
Estuaries and Coastal Seas in Masan, held 1-3 June.

Some 40 Experts from Bohai Sea (China), Seto Inland Sea (Japan), Jakarta Bay
(Indonesia), Manila Bay (Philippines), Masan-Chinhae Bay (ROK) and Wetlands
International (Malaysia Office), as well as concerned agencies and institutions in RO
Korea, participated in the Workshop and delved into the issues and challenges
surrounding ecosystem management and discussed strategies and approaches in
promoting regional partnership and collaboration for managing interrelated rivers,
estuaries and coastal seas.

The participants shared baseline information and experiences in managing their
respective water bodies, including past and current initiatives and issues on coastal and
marine management. The information was seen as very useful for the development of
ecosystem-based management approaches. Participants from various local
nongovernment organizations as well as regional organizations and institutions also
helped in identifying possible areas of collaboration among the PEMSEA participating
countries, programmes and partner organizations.

The findings of the workshop will be incorporated into the programme of activities of the
Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). This is a
significant development since an Implementation Plan for the SDS-SEA is currently
being developed and, once approved by countries in the region, will be used to further the
objectives of attaining sustainable development in the Seas of East Asia. The need to
further develop the methods and approaches was recognized with regard to total pollution
load management, living resource restoration, ecosystem monitoring and analysis,
market-based instruments for pollution reduction and resource conservation, and
ecosystem governance. The workshop also suggested developing a regional self-
sustaining secretariat service to place the twinning activities on a long-term footing,

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based on the commitment and contribution of the programs involved. RO Korea has
made an initial offer to provide the secretariat service.

The workshop was co-organized and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs
and Fisheries of RO Korea (MOMAF), with the assistance of the Korea Maritime
Institute, Masan City government, Kyungnam University, National Fisheries Research
and Development Institute and PEMSEA.

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Sihanoukville Environmental Laboratory Launched

SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA -- The Municipality of Sihanoukville launched the
Sihanoukville Environmental Laboratory (SEL) to assist the local government in its
efforts to monitor and manage the environmental health of beaches in Sihanoukville. The
SEL was launched in a simple ceremony held 27 May. The occasion was graced by
Sihanoukville Governor Say Hak who expressed hopes that SEL would play a key role in
facilitating the monitoring of all seven beaches in Sihanoukville. Other guests include
representatives from the Ministry of Environment, the Department of Environment, as
well as private sector partners from the Danish International Development Agency and
Cambrew Ltd.

The creation of the laboratory is part of the Integrated Beach Environmental Monitoring
Program (IBEMP). Spearheaded by the Project Management Office and the Department
of Environment, the IBEMP is a major step to help ensure the sustainable resource
utilization of coastal and marine resources while promoting sustainable tourism. The
IBEMP also includes capacity building for the partner implementers on data gathering
and laboratory analyses.

IBEMP is part of a broader integrated coastal management (ICM) initiative to sustainably
manage and protect the marine and coastal resources of Sihanoukville and complements
existing efforts in tourism development and management. The tourism industry remains
one of the major sources of income for Sihanoukville, with tourists attracted by its
beautiful beaches and pristine waters.

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The Marine Stewardship Council and the UNEP EAS/RCU Signify Support to the
EAS Congress 2006

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- The Congress Secretariat welcomes, with much pride
and gratitude, the support of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the United
Nations Environment Programme - East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit
(EAS/RCU) -- two organizations that recently signified their willingness to participate in
the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2006.

In letters addressed to Dr. Chua Thia-Eng (PEMSEA Regional Programme Director and
Head of the Congress Secretariat), the MSC and the UNEP EAS/RCU officially
confirmed their interest in serving as the Co-organizer of the Marine Stewardship
Workshop and a Congress Supporting Organization, respectively. Their commitment, a
living testimony to the dynamic partnerships at work in the region, will certainly go a
long way in helping to ensure the sustainable development of East Asia's coastal and
marine environments.

Based in Australia, the MSC is an independent, global, non-profit organization which
promotes responsible fishing practices by recognizing well-managed fisheries via a
certification program and by harnessing consumer preference for seafood products
bearing the Council's label of approval.

The UNEP EAS/RCU in Thailand serves as the Secretariat for the Coordinating Body on
Seas of East Asia, and is the lead United Nations agency for marine environmental
matters in the region, responsible for coordinating activities related to the marine
environment.

Carrying the theme One Ocean, One People, One Vision, the EAS Congress will be held
from 12-16 December 2006 in PR China. Please visit http://eascongress.way.to for more
information.



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