PHL Consulate General Joins Coral Reef Nightlife of the California Academy of Sciences

28 June 2017 SAN FRANCISCO — The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined the California Academy of Sciences’ Coral Reefs NightLife to highlight the country’s natural resources and inform those who attended the event of Philippine efforts towards conservation of natural resources.

NightLife is held every Thursday, when the California Academy of Sciences opens its doors to 3,000 people who wish to visit the Academy and learn more about nature.  The June 8 NightLife focused on Coral Reefs, and invited the Philippines to join the event, as the Philippine Coral Reef exhibit is part of the permanent display at the Academy. Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. was part of a panel that discussed coral reef preservation.

The Consul General said that as an archipelago, the Philippines’ sea lanes are accessed by many nations.  He added that the Philippines is also part of the Coral Triangle, whose resources benefit the coastal communities, making the country highly dependent on resources of the sea for our own sustenance. 

He explained that the Philippines recognizes that rights and obligations of user states and coastal states must be harmonized, prompting us to be active in participating in international fora.  At the mention that the Philippines recently ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the audience applauded the country’s efforts to share the responsibility of mitigating the effects of climate change with other like-minded nations. 

The panel took place at the African Hall and was attended by 100 people.  The Tourism Office put up a booth of Philippine dive sites at the Academy. 

For more information, visit www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph  / www.philippinessanfrancisco.org  or https://www.facebook.com/PCGSF. END