Secretary Locsin Receives Philippine Flag that Reached Emden Deep 

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. (left) and Dr. Deo Florence Onda (right) hold the Philippine flag that reached the Emden Deep during the turnover ceremony today at the Department of Foreign Affairs. (DFA Photo by Philip Fernandez)

PASAY CITY, 14 September 2021 - Dr. Deo Florence Onda, part of the first team and the first Filipino to descend the third deepest place on earth at 10,088 meters, turned over to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. today the Philippine flag that reached the Emden Deep.

Dr. Onda of the University of the Philippines – Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) made history in March this year by joining the deep sea voyage of the US firm Caladan Oceanic in the Philippine Trench. This expedition is equivalent to the first early flights into outer space, and has provided the first insights into this unstudied, previously unexplored, and underappreciated maritime region within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The DFA-Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) facilitated the participation of Dr. Onda in the Emden Deep Expedition.

The turnover ceremony is part of the series of activities for the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo). END