Quezon City, Philippines — To start its year-long anniversary celebrations, PEMSEA dedicated the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) library to Dr. Chua Thia-Eng and launched the PEMSEA History Wall at the PEMSEA Office Building in Quezon City, Philippines, last 4 April 2013.

 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by EAS Partnership Council Chair, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng and other members of the Executive Committee including Council Co-Chair, Ambassador Mary Seet-Cheng; Technical Session Chair, Mr. Hiroshi Terashima; and Technical Session Co-Chair, Prof. Chul-Hwan Koh.

 

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA welcomes Ms. Regina Sison, Ms. Maria Monica Edralin and Mr. Humprey Garces to the PEMSEA Resource Facility.

 

Ms. Regina Sison joins PEMSEA as Finance Assistant. She has a degree in Accountancy and brings over nine years of experience in finance and accounting services to different GEF/UNDP projects. Most recently, she was involved in the Sulu-Celebes Sea Sustainable Fisheries Management Project based in Manila. As part of the PRF, Regina will be assisting in general accounting services and other finance-related tasks.

 

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA Country Partners reaffirmed their commitment to support PEMSEA and allocate necessary assistance to facilitate the transformation of PEMSEA to an independent self-sustaining and country-owned regional organization, during the 12th expanded Executive Committee Meeting held from 3 to 4 April 2013 in Manila.

 

 

Bataan, Philippines — The number of local governments championing coastal and marine management is steadily increasingly over the past decade.

 

 

Manila, Philippines — "You can not manage what you can not measure," goes an old management adage. "Unless you measure something, you don't know if it is getting better or worse."

 

Three provinces along the Manila Bay coastline, namely, Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga, joined hands to initiate the State of the Coasts (SOC) reporting system under the framework of the integrated coastal management (ICM) programs of the respective provinces.

 

 

Quezon City, Philippines — As I spend my last days in the Philippines, it is interesting to recall my experiences and wonderful memories as an intern for PEMSEA. After four months working and living in Manila, I must say that my life in Manila was truly memorable and rewarding.

 

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA welcomes two new editors, Ms. Melissa Borlaza and Mr. Lawrence San Diego, to the PEMSEA Resource Facility. They will be responsible for all aspects of production of various knowledge products and multimedia materials required by implementers of the SDS-SEA, including official publications, the Tropical Coasts magazine and PEMSEA website.

 

 

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Soc Trang is a key coastal province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta and is prized as one of the country's rice bowls given its high agricultural productivity. The province's coastal and marine resources are at risk not only from the negative ecological consequences of the expanding shrimp farming industry but also from the impacts of climate change.

 

 

Tagaytay City, Philippines — One thousand nine hundred trees will be planted at the sprawling Tagaytay Highlands this year in an effort to promote a greener environment. The tree-growing activity dubbed "One Tree at a Time" was launched on 25 May to observe the International Day for Biodiversity.

 

Xiamen, PR China — The PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) ushered in four new regular members and a change in leadership during their Fourth Executive Committee Meeting held in Xiamen on 27 May.

 

The Executive Committee agreed to accept the membership applications of Shima City, Japan; Northern Selangor, Malaysia; and Changyi City and Qinzhou City, both from PR China. The formal induction of the four sites will be held at the General Assembly of the forthcoming PNLG Forum 2013.