Scientists call for stronger policy and local testing capabilities after detecting higher concentrations of the nuclear substance iodine-129 in the West Philippines Sea (WPS). “We currently have no regulatory body to monitor radioactivity in seawater. If the government decides to act, we need a routine sampling system,” Dr. Angel Bautista VII, scientist at the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) told BusinessMirror, partly in Filipino, in an online interview.

Francisco, J. E. R. (2026, January 25). Scientists urge stronger nuclear monitoring policy after detecting radioactive isotope in WPS. BusinessMirror, p. A5.