The House Committee on Economic Affairs approved the blue economy bill that promotes stewardship and sustainable development of coastal marine ecosystems and resources on Tuesday morning, September 12, Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said.
“The House Committee on Economic Affairs has approved this morning the unnumbered Substitute Bill to House Bill No. 69, I authored, along with other similar bills,” Benitez said Tuesday.
Benitez chaired the technical working group that consolidated the bills.
The consolidated bill strengthens inter-agency, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder coordination to promote sustainable development of the country’s marine resources and ensure that maritime industries do not damage marine and coastal environments, he said.
The bill also seeks the renaming of the National Coast Watch System to the National Maritime Monitoring System.
“This will be a landmark legislation that will redefine our relationship with our marine waters – and create a path to sustainable and inclusive development of our marine resources,” Benitez said in his remarks before the Committee on Economic Affairs.
The President himself, in his 2023 State of the Nation Address stressed the gains, in terms of employment and livelihood, from the proper development of our blue economy. In the SONA, the President called on Congress to pass this bill, Benitez pointed out.
“This is in recognition of the fact that approximately 88 percent of our territory are marine waters. Maritime industries account for 3.6 percent of our GDP, according to the PSA. But if we do not act now, our marine wealth will be lost due to damage from overexploitation and pollution,” Benitez said.
The Philippines is the biggest contributor of plastic waste that leaks into the ocean, Benitez also pointed out.
The Philippines was responsible for 36.38 percent of global ocean plastics in 2019, according to The Ocean Cleanup, a Netherlands-based non-profit organization, he said.
“We cannot let this continue. We need coordinated action to regulate ocean-based and ocean-related activities to prevent or minimize waste and damage to our marine and coastal ecosystems. After all, we are only stewards of this wealth – we should ensure that future generations of Filipinos can benefit too from the bounty of our seas,” Benitez said.
He said the bill is long overdue as the country has had no comprehensive framework for the development of coastal and marine resources since the 1994 National Marine Policy.*