Malacañang has ordered all government agencies to increase public understanding of the country’s maritime domain and its status as an archipelagic state by intensifying information dissemination, education, and engagement with the general public in support of the programs and activities.

Through Memorandum Circular No. 87 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin on July 11, Malacañang also urged local government units and the private sector to join the government in promoting awareness of the Philippines as a maritime and archipelagic nation.

“To raise and deepen public understanding of the country’s maritime and archipelagic issues and concerns, it is imperative to strengthen public awareness, national consciousness, and intergenerational appreciation of the Philippine national territory and maritime zones,” Bersamin said in the memorandum.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the lead communications arm of the government, was tasked with implementing communication strategies and disseminating information to inform, educate, and engage the general public in support of government programs and activities.

The Executive Secretary also emphasized the need to synchronize efforts among government agencies and foster inter-agency collaboration in promoting maritime and archipelagic awareness to advance sustainable development, security, and protection of the country’s maritime domain and heritage.

The order was signed on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the landmark Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration upheld Philippine sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea. It rejected China’s claim over most of the South China Sea as without legal basis in international law.

Memorandum Circular No. 87 instructed the National Maritime Council (NMC) to lead, through the Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns (POMC), in developing and implementing year-round programs and activities to promote awareness of the Philippines as a maritime and archipelagic nation.

The NMC was also ordered to organize activities through the POMC, in observation of the annual Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month, or MANA Mo, every September. | PND