The UNESCO-Philippine National Commission joined the monitoring mission to the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and World Heritage Site over the weekend. With us were Park Superintendent “Mama Ranger” Angelique Songco, Erika Korosi of Conservation International, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park & World Heritage Site Park Superintendent Beth Maclang, Palawan Fiscals Gidor Manero and Maidy Fernandez, and other volunteers. Our home for the weekend was the M/Y Navorca owned by WWF-Philippines.
We visited the North Atoll, where the Tubbataha Ranger Station and Bird Island is located, as well as the South Atoll.
Sadly, there was quite a number of plastic bottles floating around the reef. All of the bottles we picked up during the trip came from Sabah.
We did a site inspection of the new Tubbataha Ranger Station that is being constructed and found out they need another ₱150 million to complete it. We hope Congress will allot funds to finish this project that is important for the protection of our national patrimony.
As the first UNACOM Secretary-General to snorkel around the reefs, Secretary-General Henares expressed his greater appreciation of the outstanding universal value of Tubbataha and highlighted the need to ensure its protection for future generations.
