By Paulo Loreto Lim

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently reaffirmed its commitment with Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), an intergovernmental organization focused on protecting and promoting healthy oceans and coastal communities.

According to DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change and Mining Concerns Analiza Rebuelta Teh, the organization has allowed the government agency to conduct integrated coastal management (ICM) programs, which look to shape human activity to promote more sustainable practices.

Notably, Guimaras is among the provinces in the country to be included in the ICM program.

Teh also noted, the association with PEMSEA upholds tenets of Executive Order 533, signed in 2006 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The order specifically points to ICM programs as a “national strategy to ensure sustainable development of the country’s coastal and marine environment.”

Alongside the Philippines, PEMSEA includes Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam as country partners./PLL, WDJ