BEIJING – The Philippines may invite China and other nations to help protect the rich natural resources in the West Philippine Sea amid plans to declare the region as a marine protected area.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has recommended to President Duterte the establishment of the marine protection zone, including Pag-asa Island, to safeguard the environment and limit fishing activities in the country’s maritime domain.
Esperon, speaking to reporters in Beijing, affirmed the President was open to the idea that is similar to the proclamation of a portion of the Philippine Rise as a marine protected area.
“We are studying the creation of the declaration of some marine protected areas. We did this in the Philippine rise and so we can I think we can do it also in the West Philippine Sea. That’s after all our maritime domain, within our exclusive economic zone,” he said.
“A marine protected area gives you choices whether there should be no fishing at all or no exploitation of resources or it could be managed that way we protect the environment, we sustain the environment so it’s a good activity that where we can join all other, we can invite nations to join us,” he added.
Asked how the government intends to manage the resources in the territory, Esperon maintained that human activity could be restricted to preserve the marine habitat and species.
“Manage – you allow some harvesting, you have to impose some off season times and some restrictions, less restrictions,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)