GOOD AFTERNOON PO. ISANG MAKAKALIKASANG HAPON PO SA ATING LAHAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO SECRETARY, OUR CHAIR KARLO B. NOGRALES OF COURSE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. CHAIR YOU SAID THAT TWO MILLION PEOPLE, THAT’S MUSIC TO MY EARS BECAUSE I’LL SHARE WITH YOU SOME STATISTICS ACTUALLY WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH IN TERMS OF OUR REFORESTATION OF COURSE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ROLE AS THE DENR.

SO, TO ALL THE CSC TEAM AT KASAMA NA RIN SI BIRTHDAY BOY, ASEC HIRO, AND OF COURSE ALL OUR COLLEAGUES FROM THE DENR,

GOOD AFTERNOON PO.

IT IS NO SECRET THAT THE WORLD’S OCEANS COVER ABOUT 70% OF OUR PLANET, BUT BRINGING THAT MESSAGE HOME, WE ARE A COUNTRY OF 30 MILLION HECTARES OF LAND, BUT WE ARE A COUNTRY OF 220 MILLION HECTARES OF WATER. SO, DESPITE OUR BEING A SMALL NATION, PERHAPS, GEOGRAPHICALLY IN TERMS OF LAND, WE ARE INDEED A LARGE OCEAN NATION AND THE OCEANS SUPPORT LIFE ON LAND AS WELL AS OF COURSE IN OUR SEAS. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN OCEAN LAND AND ATMOSPHERE IS WHAT REGULATES OUR CLIMATE, IT’S WHAT PROVIDES OUR FOOD, IT’S WHAT PROVIDES OUR WATER SUPPLY, AND CERTAINLY, IT PROVIDES THE HOSPITABLE CLIMATE WITHIN WHICH WE MUST SURVIVE TODAY.
BUT OUR OCEANS FACE, OF COURSE, UNPRECEDENTED THREATS, AMONG THEM MARINE POLLUTION, THAT IN FACT IS ENDING UP IN OUR HOUSEHOLDS AS WELL AS OF COURSE IN THE FOOD THAT WE EAT. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY AT THIS POINT THAT WHILE WE ARE HERE TODAY FOR A CLEANUP, THE IDEAL SITUATION IS THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO CLEAN UP BECAUSE WE HAVE CLEANED UP ON LAND. SO, THERE CAN BE NO BLUE WITHOUT GREEN, AND THERE CAN BE NO GREEN WITHOUT BLUE, AND THAT DOESN’T MEAN UAAP.

TWO WORDS REINSTRUCT AS A NOTE FROM ASEC HIRO’S MESSAGE, AND OF COURSE USEC JUN’S AS WELL: MAINSTREAM, PUN INTENDED. WE DO NEED TO MAINSTREAM ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IN OUR PROFESSIONAL CIVIL SERVICE AND WE HOPE THIS WILL CONTINUE AND BE INSTITUTIONALIZED INTO THE CONDUCT OF OUR PUBLIC SERVICE TO THE NATION MOVING FORWARD BEYOND THIS ADMINISTRATION.

CERTAINLY, EVERY YEAR, WE KNOW THAT THIS INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP, INITIATED BY OCEAN CONSERVANCY IS HERE TO REMIND US ALL OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE CAN BE TO THE PROBLEM OF MARINE POLLUTION. BUT THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEM, FIRST OF ALL, IF WE DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM ON LAND.

THEREFORE, THIS OCCASION IS NOT JUST ABOUT PICKING UP LITTER – IT’S ABOUT A MESSAGE OF PREVENTION IN TERMS OF INITIATING WHAT WE CALL CLIMATE ACTIONS FOR THE CLEANUP OF OUR OCEANS SO THAT OUR OCEANS CAN SERVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH THEY ARE REALLY THERE AS PART OF THE CREATION OF OUR LORD.

THIS YEAR’S THEME, “CLEAN SEAS FOR BLUE ECONOMY,” DRIVES VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR OWN DIRECTION, MOVING TOWARDS THE BLUE ECONOMY IN TERMS OF OUR OWN LEGISLATION IN OUR PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN. IT ALSO REMINDS US THAT OUR OCEANS ARE HERE NOT JUST FOR FISHERIES BUT FOR MARITIME TRANSPORTATION FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY, FOR LIVELIHOODS THAT ARE LINKED, SUCH AS SEAFEARING TO OUR ECONOMY AS WELL. WE NEED TO ADDRESS MARINE POLLUTION TODAY PERSONALLY, PROFESSIONALLY, AND INSTITUTIONALLY.

AND WITH THAT, I HOPE THAT IT WILL STILL CONTINUE TO BE A CELEBRATION EVERY YEAR. BUT TECHNICALLY, WE HOPE THAT WE HOPE WE DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE’VE DONE OUR JOB ON LAND AND WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT THE RISK THAT MARINE POLLUTION PLACES TO OUR VERY SURVIVAL AS A COUNTRY AND AS A WORLD.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH ONCE AGAIN FOR THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. WE’RE HERE TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU. AS A STATISTIC, ADDITIONALLY TO THE TWO MILLION CIVIL SERVANTS IN OUR COUNTRY. WE HAVE 15 MILLION CLASSIFIED FOREST LANDS IN THE COUNTRY ONLY 7 MILLION OF WHICH ARE COVERED IN FORESTS. SO WE AIM UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION TO INCREASE THE FOREST COVER BY LEAST THREE MILLION HECTARES BY THE END OF THIS ADMINISTRATION. WE HOPE WE CAN WORK WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE IN ORDER FOR US TO REACH THAT GOAL. AND THAT GOAL IS NOW BEING EXECUTED A TARGETED REFORESTATION EFFORT. WE HOPE TO ENGAGE WITH THE CSC MORE TO SEE HOW WE CAN WORK ON THIS ALTOGETHER.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH PO.