10 September 2013 – The Philippine Consulate General in Manado attended the 2nd Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Regional Priorities Workshop (RPW) held from August 20 to 22 in Hotel Sedona, Manado City.
The 2nd CTI-RPW was attended by representatives from the six member-countries of the CTI: The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, as well as CTI partner agencies (Australia, USA, ADB, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF) and observer agencies. The members of the Philippine delegation were Ms. Lynette Toledo Laroya from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Ms. Jessica Cardinoza Munoz from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Mr. Angelito Villanueva Fontanilla from the DENR, and Mr. Porfirio Miel Alino from the UP Marine Science Institute.
Consul General Jose D.R. Burgos and Vice Consul Jan Sherwin P. Wenceslao were present to support the Philippine Delegation.
Regional Priority Actions decided during the first CTI-RPW held in Jakarta on 17-19 May 2010, as well as tackled various cross-cutting issues involving the protection of coral reefs, marine and fisheries management and food security. Correspondingly, the Workshop was an opportunity to develop the scope and implementation plans for the succeeding CTI Regional Priority Actions for the term 2013-2015.
During the course of the Workshop, the RPW was participated by Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sharif C. Sutardjo, accompanied by the Governor of North Sulawesi, Dr. Sinyo Harry Sarundajang. In his remarks, the Minister affirmed the significant progress made by the CTI-CFF over the past few years and set the stage for identifying and prioritizing activities.
Specifically, he enjoined potential partners/collaborators to support this regional initiative, and encouraged the CTI member-countries to integrate the priority actions into their respective national plans, including local governments. He further urged the CTI member-countries to strike a balance between conservation and economic development and strengthen partnerships with local communities, business sector and government in pursuing marine ecotourism, aquaculture and sustainable financing.
During their two-day stay in Manado, the participants were also treated with a gala dinner at the Governor’s Residence and a fellowship night organized by the CTI National Coordinating Committee (NCC).
To follow-up with this and other CTI activities, Manado City will be the host for the World Coral Reef Conference and the 5th CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting on May 2014. The meetings will discuss collective means to conserve coral reefs and to address fisheries supply and food security within the Coral Triangle. The two meetings are a follow-up to the World Ocean Conference (WOC) and CTI Summit which were also held in Manado on 11-14 May 2009, which resulted in the Manado Declaration signed by the heads of the CTI member-countries on the establishment of the CTI-CFF and the establishment of a Permanent CTI Secretariat based in Manado.
The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is a multilateral partnership among six countries in the coral triangle region which encompasses the coasts, reefs, and seas of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor. The region is home to a population of over 350 million people and is considered the richest marine environment in the world, which accounts for about 30% of the world’s coral reefs, 76% of its reef-building coral species and more than 35% of its coral reef fish species. The area is also a vital area for food security and is a spawning ground for many food fish species, including shrimp, squid and tuna. END