MANILA, Philippines – Maglalaan ang South Korea ng USD9 million o halos P501 milyon na tulong sa Pilipinas at Timor-Leste para labanan ang marine plastic pollution.
Ang proyekto ay ipatutupad sa coastal communities sa Bulan, Sorsogon; Daanbantayan, Cebu; Calbayog City, Samar; Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte; Puerto Princesa, Palawan; at Tandag City, Surigao del Sur.
Samantala, apat iba pang coastal communities na nasa Timor-Leste ang makikinabang din dito.
Ang “Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region” initiative ay tatakbo ng anim na taon at layong pagbutihin ang pamamahala sa marine plastics sa dalawang bansa sa pamamagitan ng science-based governance, innovative solutions sa pagsusulong ng circular economy, regular beach monitoring sa marine plastics, angkop na training at community awareness drive.
“Through this project, we hope to contribute to enhance the capacities for combating marine debris and plastic pollution in the Philippines and Timor-Leste with opportunities to share experiences and best practices on Republic of Korea’s marine plastic wastes management policies and recycling technologies,” ani Sunhyung Ryu, director ng Marine Conservation Division ng South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF).
Ang MOF ay nakipag-ugnayan sa Partnerships in Environmental Management for Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), isang regional coordinating mechanism para sa sustainable development ng coastal at marine resources sa rehiyon, upang ipatupad ang proyekto.
“These pro-active local, national and regional actions to combat plastics are happening globally, with governments placing significant importance on the issue. Negotiations to establish a global treaty to manage plastics are ongoing,” ani Aimee Gonzales, executive director ng PEMSEA.
“Such actions are crucial, if marine plastic pollution is not addressed now, it is predicted that there will be more plastics than fish in the ocean by 2050,” dagdag pa niya.
Ang programa ay sa pakikipagtulungan ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources at iba pang opisina nito.
Ayon sa PEMSEA, ang Pilipinas ay ikinokonsiderang isa sa top five contributors ng marine plastic pollution sa buong mundo, habang ang Timor-Leste naman ay humaharap sa pagsasaayos ng mga basura at plastic nito dahil sa poor infrastructure at challenging geography nito. RNT/JGC
