Malacañang has issued Memorandum Circular No. 87 (MC87), instructing all government agencies to actively promote the Philippines as a “maritime and archipelagic nation.”
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed the memo last Friday, July 11, but was made public only on Wednesday (July 16).
“It is imperative to strengthen public awareness, national consciousness, and intergenerational appreciation of the Philippine national territory and maritime zones,” Malacañang said in its MC87.
Under the memo, the National Maritime Council (NMC) through the Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns (POMC) shall lead year-round programs promoting maritime and archipelagic awareness.
The POMC is expected to organize activities for the annual Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo), which is held every September based on Proclamation No. 316 released in 2017.
All government agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, are mandated to participate in this campaign. Local government units (LGUs) and the private sector are also encouraged to support the initiatives.
MC87 was issued as the country recently marked the ninth anniversary of its legal victory against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
The Philippines challenged the Asian superpower’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, which encroached on the globally recognized West Philippine Sea. The PCA ruled that China’s nine-dash line theory had no legal basis and ordered it to respect international law.
MC87 was guided by the 1987 Constitution, which mandates the protection of the country’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for the benefit of Filipino citizens.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also signed the Philippine Maritime Zones and Archipelagic Sea Lanes laws in November 2024 to support these objectives.
