Honored trustees, officers, and esteemed members of the Maritime League, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant morning to all!

I would like to begin by thanking the Maritime League and your President and Chairman, retired Vice Admiral Eduardo R. Santos, for the opportunity to address today’s Maritime Conference. Thank you too to retired Vice Admiral Edmund Tan for coordinating with my office.

The theme of your conference today is “The Philippines’ Blue Economy: Prospects and Issues”. It is time to talk about issues, our real problems, for the purpose of coming up with solutions, which hopefully will address the root causes, if that is possible.

Our country faces many “issues” today. (1) Food, (2) Health, (3) Jobs, (4) Education, (5) Justice, (6) Inflation, (7) Cost of Living and even of Dying, to name a few.

Hence, it is important to help, and always help. Our fellow man, and most especially our country.

In your own way, the Maritime League, since your creation (in 1990), has helped our country by promoting “maritime development” in the Philippines in its various aspects: (1) fisheries production (food!), (2) safeguarding our marine ecosystems for the benefit of the generation now and the future ones, and (3) collaboration with our neighboring States for the sustainable use of our oceans and seas, which I call “good neighborliness”, among others.

Since the Philippines is an archipelago, we are a maritime nation. Our past has been shaped by the sea. Progress in the present and the future will also be dependent on the development of a robust maritime economy.

There is a saying “you mean the world to us”. To the Maritime League I say “you mean the seas to us”!

It is truly an honor for me to stand in the presence of so many distinguished men and women who, by their vision, courage, industry, and patriotism, have contributed to the security, livelihood, and progress of our people. Speaking as a Filipino and as a father whose children and grandchildren will live in the nation you helped build: maraming salamat po!

According to our research, 75% of our country’s 1,525 municipalities have a coastline; 62% of our people live in the coastal zone; and more than 50% of our people’s protein intake comes from marine fisheries. Kaya nalungkot kami pareho ni Senador Manny Pacquiao nung nalaman namin na ang paborito natin isdang galunggong ay imported na pala ngayon! How can that be, when we are surrounded by seas? Kaya pala ang galunggong ay kasing mahal na ng manok.

According to our research, in 2012, domestic maritime trade accounted for 99.8% of the volume and 99.6% of the value of all domestic trade. Still we get observations that it is cheaper to ship goods from Mindanao to Japan than it is to ship from Mindanao to Metro Manila.

These facts, figures, and observations only mean that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our vision of a just and progressive Philippines. Kaya kailangang magtulongan tayo.

In the coming Congress, I plan to be in the minority group in the Senate. Dahil alam ko na dapat magtulongan tayo, I will not be an obstructionist member of the minority. The minority is there to make sure the Rules are followed so that other points of view will be given sufficient time to be aired or expressed. Our People must always have access to other points of view. I bring with me what I will call “the Fairlane Subdivision point of view”, that is named after the middle-class subdivision I grew up in here in Metro Manila.

You might be interested to know that I intend to re-file my bills on (1) the Maritime Zones of the Philippines (SB 2459), and (2) the Establishment of the Archipelagic Sea Lanes in Philippine Archipelagic Waters (SB 1890). I hope I can get some inputs from your organization about these bills. You don’t have to agree with me. What is important is that magtulongan na tayo, umpisahan na natin.

During this pandemic, I encountered the term “autarky” which means national economic self-sufficiency and independence. I am not advocating for that, but I have realized that we need “a little more self-sufficiency”. We don’t want to be an isolated autarkic State like North Korea, but the Philippines cannot continue to be too dependent on outside supplies even for the basics like rice, food, face masks, PPEs, vaccines, medicines, and many more. Let us strive to be “a little more self-sufficient” in these basic and essential items.

There is therefore no escaping science as most of the items I have mentioned have “heavy scientific content”. So, if we really want to be “a little more self-sufficient” as a Nation in this day and age, we have no choice but to strengthen our science education.

With our heavy debt burden of around 13 Trillion Pesos, we actually have no other choice but to start to be productive and start paying that debt.

As a nation surrounded by waters, the Philippines is a crucial player in the maritime sector. We are one of the biggest sources of maritime professionals. Our seafarers contributed 6.14 billion dollars to our economy in 2019. We rank as the number 4 largest shipbuilding nation in the world.

I therefore see vast and limitless economic opportunities in the maritime industry for example in the fields of shipbuilding, aquaculture, and even mining.

Let us be ambitious, bold, and courageous, and start being productive. If we are one of the largest shipbuilding nations in the world, then why are we not ambitioning to build the ships required or desired by the Navy and the Coast Guard?

There are a thousand more things that need to be done. Since we cannot predict the future and cannot possibly anticipate all the different scenarios and combination of events, I have chosen to be guided in my decision-making by my personal vision of what I want the Philippines to be.

I will work for a Philippines which is just and fair, which saves and shares, which is scientific, democratic, peaceful and progressive, but which is, most of all, a place where love overflows, for both God and Country.

I hope the Maritime League can join me in this effort.

My friends, to paraphrase Saint Augustine: with you I am Filipino, for you I am senator. In honor of the one God who made us citizens and stewards of our country, in service of the one Filipino people whose welfare we all seek, let us work together to develop a robust maritime sector and blue economy.

Thank you and I wish you a successful Maritime Conference.