Maritime Champions of MANA Mo 2021

Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, Ensign Ralph Barajan, Dr. Jo Marie Acebes and Dr. Deo Florence Onda in action during the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office’s webinar in celebration of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) 2021.

PASAY CITY 17 September 2021 – In celebration of the  Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) 2021, the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (DFA-MOAO) put the spotlight of notable Filipinos who helped raise awareness on maritime and marine issues affecting the Philippines, and whose extraordinary accomplishments brought pride to the country through a webinar on 08 September 2021.

The webinar entitled, “Maritime Champions: Inspiring a Nation Through Action” featured four Filipino champions of maritime and marine issues. The champions included  Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, a seasoned lawmaker and longtime advocate of environmental conservation,  Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Ensign Ralph Barajan, the first Filipino recipient of the prestigious International Maritime Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea; Dr. Deo Florence Onda, marine scientist and first Filipino to reach the third deepest point on earth, the Emden Deep; and Dr. Jo Marie Acebes, a biologist and veterinarian who is taking the lead in promoting the conservation and protection of whale and dolphin populations in the Philippines though her organization Balyena.Org.

The webinar sought to educate and bring people’s attention to important concerns like marine environment protection, safety at sea, the scourge of plastic pollution and man’s impact on the balance of nature, while uplifting the audience’s spirits through personal stories of sacrifice and life-long commitment to advocacies of the invited guest panelists.

In his opening remarks, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. referred to the panelists as “champions inspiring our race through action”, who “awakened a renewed sense of hope”.

Similarly, MOAO Assistant Secretary Maria Angela Ponce in her opening remarks encouraged the participants to webinar to gain inspiration from the accomplishments and personal stories of the guest panelist and to contribute in their own way to making our seas cleaner and safer and our lives better.  END