29 December 2014 - The Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) of the Department of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the University of the Philippines – National Institute for Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB), hosted a two-day workshop on the Development of a Sustainable Seabed Mining and Resources Policy on December 16 and 17 at the Century Park Hotel, Manila.

 The workshop was attended by experts and stakeholders from the government sector: Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of National Defense (DND), National Coast Watch Council (NCWC), and the National Security Council (NSC).

The private sector was represented by Philex Mining Corp. and Philodrill while the academe was represented by UP-NIGS and the UP-Institute on Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea.

The workshop was intended to facilitate the Philippine Government’s pursuit of a national policy on sustainable deep seabed mining in the context of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the rules and regulations of the International Seabed Authority.

Dr. Sandor Mulsow, Head, Office of Resources and Environmental Monitoring of the International Seabed Authority, was invited as one of the key resource persons in the workshop.  He discussed the functions and structure of the Authority as well as the measures for environmental protection in the seabed.

The workshop was intended to start the ball rolling towards the Philippines’ development of a sustainable resource management policy for its seabed, demonstrating the country’s sense of responsibility among the community of nations while securing its resources for future generations of Filipinos. END