Senator Loren Legarda has called for urgent, collective action to protect the country’s oceans, warning of severe threats to livelihoods, biodiversity, and economic stability if the Philippines fails to act decisively. Speaking at the DFA Ocean Talk on August 13, 2025, after the Philippines’ participation in the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, Legarda described the ocean as “the soul of our archipelago,” sustaining 2.24 million livelihoods and contributing PHP 787 billion annually to the economy. She cautioned that without bold interventions, sea-level rise could displace 150,000 Filipinos by 2040 and inflict over PHP 18 billion in losses, while more than four million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste each year continue to poison marine ecosystems and the national food chain.

Legarda urges united action to defend Philippine oceans. (2025, August 14). DailyGuardian, pp. 2, 11.