1 April 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today lauded  the organizers of Exercise Luzon Sea Phase I (Palawan Expedition) for  boosting regional cooperation on the conservation of the marine environment.

“I congratulate the organizers of the Palawan Expedition for spearheading  this project.  The information gathered along the southern coastline of  Palawan would not only help boost efforts toward regional cooperation the  neighboring countries in the South China Sea but will also cement the  foundations for the future conservation of the marine environment of Palawan  coasts and of the whole South China Sea,” the Secretary said.

Some 23 marine scientists, biologists, and other biodiversity experts from  Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines gathered data on the general  marine biodiversity of southern Palawan’s coasts and waters from March 16-26,  2004. The Philippines through the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center (MOAC) of  the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) organized the Palawan Expedition and  launched it on 16 March 2004.

During the 10 days of exploration, marine scientists studied the fish stocks,  marine mammals, sea turtles, sea grasses and coral reefs along the coasts of  the towns of Quezon, Rizal, Balabac, and Bataraza. They dived and used traps  and trawling to take marine samples. The vessel used for the expedition was  the MV DA-BFAR, the research vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic  Resources (BFAR). Dr. Angel Alcala, current director of Silliman University- Angelo King Center for Environmental Management (SUAKCREM) headed the team of  marine scientists.

Representatives from the local institutions and agencies such as BFAR,  Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Palawan State University,  SUAKCREM, University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI),  Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and  Natural Resources, National Museum of the Philippines, Conservation  International–Philippines, and Western Philippines University also  participated in the Palawan Expedition.

Ambassador Alberto A. Encomienda, Secretary General of the DFA-MOAC, stated  that Exercise Luzon Sea, of which the Palawan Expedition is the launch  activity, is compelled upon the Philippines given its status as an
archipelagic State and its strategic location at the center of global marine  biodiversity.

Choosing Palawan as the starting point of Exercise Luzon Sea is highly  significant. Archeological finding in shipwrecks off the reef zones of  Palawan’s waters and in caves along Palawan’s coasts prove this island’s
early importance as a strategic port in the South China Sea trade. Considered  as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier, Palawan boasts of having the  most extensive, highly productive mangrove areas. It is home to diverse  terrestrial and marine flora and fauna and the remaining virgin tropical  rainforests in the country.  END.