Good morning to everyone, all our friends. Thank you very much to Dr. CP David for that introduction. Indeed that office, the Geospatial Database Office, was really part and actually parcel of the first project that we proposed to our president under this administration to actually begin to account and therefore value our natural resources in the country.

So, good morning. First of all, of course, to our key partner, Dr. Joel Marciano of the Philippine Space Agency, our colleagues and friends, our friends from the British Embassy, Mr. Lloyd Cameron, our supporters. Thank you very much to Ms. Irene Marcos-Araneta for attending today. Short notice, but thank you very much. Mr. Alfredo Giron of the World Economic Forum, whom we met just at COP28, and we’re seeing now some few steps moving towards the goals of what we had discussed at COP28. Ms. Edwina Gachitorena, Country Director of ZSL Philippines.

Ms. Trina Custodio of WWF, who’s here as well. Ms. Rina Rosales, friends from, of course, CI, WWF, RAF, from MAD, and all the colleagues that have been working together with us at Wetlands International. Thank you very much for being here today, and thank you to Jeremy for allowing us to use this wonderful venue.

So, bottom lines up front, as CP had already started, the first message that I wanted to start with today is that we really need to measure what we treasure. Mangroves are the fourth layer, as you’ve seen, of the natural resources and systems that, under this administration, we have tried to produce in terms of inventories of natural resources through collaboration between partners in government, bilateral partners, non-government organizations, and communities. So you’ve seen water, terrestrial forests, minerals, and now mangroves as part of this inventory.

The second message I have is basically teamwork makes the dream work. Sorry for the corny phrase, but it is true. The DENR was the first national government agency, I believe, and Joel, you have to confirm this, to sign a MOA with the Philippine Space Agency.

Am I, or maybe the second, so that’s okay. And so, while the work of the Philippine Space Agency under the office of the President is work that sees us from above and at a distance, our work, in the words of one of the pioneers of the conceptualization of the PhilSA from the very beginning, Dr. Celine Vicente, is the work of ants. All hands on the ground are needed in order to make this a significant and a substantiated endeavour, and therefore, the work of ants is needed to ground truth, to verify, to validate the interpretation of images.

Moving forward, what all of this means for us in terms of the DENR, and hopefully our other partners in the government and in the non-government community, is we need to enhance and accelerate our OODA loops. For those who are unfamiliar with the OODA loop–observe, orient, decide, act. This is what we need under this administration, and this is what we are here, and what we stand for.

We know where these assets now are, and we have a good idea of their extent. However, we now need to focus on assessing and supporting the health of these ecosystems. Continuously, we must learn and cultivate how they function and serve and support both life on land and underwater.

And that means how they support our social and cultural identities, the ecological systems that rely on them, and the economics that eventually allow us to sustainably develop. Today, we come together to celebrate a milestone in our commitment to mangrove conservation, ecological stewardship, and evidence-informed policy and action. And it’s with great pride and excitement that we will be unveiling the map.
This is the first map that combines remote sensing, AI, machine learning by the Philippine Space Agency, data and information gathered by citizen scientists, academia, expert practitioners, and the field validation work of the DENR and local partners on the ground in just a few months. In February of this year, 2024, we initiated this ambitious validation campaign called ‘BakaJuan’. Corny, but correct.

One mangrove for every Juan. This effort involves mobilizing our DENR field offices and inviting volunteers from across the Philippines to collaborate in completing the AI-generated mangrove map. So, I’m delighted to share with you that our efforts have yielded a remarkable success in a sense.

We’ve exceeded our scientific target by over 100% in just four months of field work in over 60 coastal provinces. Of the data collected, 61% was meticulously provided by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, while the remaining 39% was contributed by dedicated citizen scientists, academic partners, NGOs, including members of the Global Mangrove Alliance, the private sector, and engaged individuals. This achievement not only highlights the strength of collaboration, but showcases unwavering dedication of stakeholders for the preservation of our natural heritage and our national patrimony.

So our heartfelt thanks to DENR bureaus, first of all, I should say, because of their work, regional and field offices and personnel who actually did the ground validations in a short span of time. The work that was done is exemplary and instrumental in achieving the milestone that we have today. We’d also want to give special thanks to DENR offices, notable mention to top contributors of DENR–MIMAROPA, CARAGA, Eastern Visayas, for their outstanding contributions.

On academes, we actually recognize the top contributors–Mindoro State University, followed by Mindanao State University, along with their partners, Wetlands International, Hijo Resources Corporation, who supported the work. LGU contributors, this is very interesting, LGU such as Tagum–Tagum’s Youth Climate and Disaster Actors, followed by the City ENRD of Butuan and the LGU of Buenavista. So our members of the Global Mangrove Alliance, such as the Zoological Society of London, of course, who field validated most points among the NGOs.

Wetlands International, as well, for their significant financial support for field validation, Youth for Resilience Network from Leyte, as the third top validator, and Oceana Philippines, who graciously invited the DENR to use their photo exhibit, as mentioned today. Your support and collaboration has really been crucial.

At this juncture, I’d like to actually note that this progress brings us closer to achieving our local and international goals, including those of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals, the establishment of the Blue Economy, and the impact-driven Blue Carbon Action Partnership as part of our own commitment to COP. At this juncture, may I invite DG Joel Marciano to join me here to officially unveil the map. You will see three visuals right now.

The map, there will be a banner, as you have seen, pointing to the methodology of the BakaJuan Initiative, and there will be a short video on the website that is available. So please, Dr. Joel, can you join me here?

Thank you very much, Dr. Joel. We will play the video after I close the message, and I think it will probably be most fitting there. And then, of course, people are most welcome to see the methodology that was presented by the group visually. So I think at the end of this all, we do have a very big message in terms of what we are trying to do all over the different bureaus and the work of the DENR in general, specifically to the mangroves and our work in blue and green forests. I conclude by paraphrasing words of our recent visitor, Dr. Sylvia Earle.

There can be no green without blue, and no blue without green. The interconnections are inextricable. Everything we do on land affects our oceans and vice versa.

It’s government’s job to sometimes make the most seemingly difficult choices. This is why we need science, the right technologies, and the reasoned perspectives of all those whom we serve. I urge everyone to keep pushing forward and remain steadfast in our mission to preserve and restore biodiversity in our coastal wetlands.

This is one big step in establishing what we hope to be the great blue wall for our country. These ecosystems are not only critical for maintaining environmental balance but also play a role in supporting local communities and wildlife. While we may be a small country in terms of land area when compared to some of our Asian neighbors, we truly are, in fact, a large ocean nation.

This is our time. We must seize and embrace this national identity and work together with determination and resilience so that we can ensure that these invaluable ecosystems are protected and that they thrive in order for future generations and our planet to continue to flourish.

Thank you very much and maraming salamat for coming.