Legarda leads reaffirmation of 2015 Manila Call to Action, charts Philippine Ocean-Climate Policy ahead of UNOC3

Senator Loren Legarda delivered the keynote address at the DFA Ocean Talk: The 2015 Manila Call to Action, Charting Philippine Ocean-Climate Policy Towards the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) held on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila.

Organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with the invaluable support of Legarda, the event was held in partnership with the Embassy of France to the Philippines and to Micronesia, the Intramuros Administration, and Liter of Light.

A decade after launching the Manila Call to Action on Climate Change alongside then-President Benigno Aquino III and French President François Hollande, Legarda returned to lead its reaffirmation—reasserting the Philippines’ commitment to ocean and climate leadership ahead of UNOC3 in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025.

“The Manila Call to Action is no longer just a call but a commitment, built on decades of science, law, diplomacy, and the lived realities of our people,” said Legarda.

“The Philippines will continue to lead, not from a place of power, but from a place of purpose. Because we know that the ocean is not just a resource, it is our history, our heritage, our home.”

Legarda underscored alarming projections, including potential losses of up to 90% of global coral reefs by 2050, the displacement of up to 13 million Filipinos due to sea-level rise under a high-emissions scenario, and a 50% decline in fish biomass in Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, all of which threaten food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity.

The four-term senator called for protecting the ocean not merely as a resource, but as a rights-based imperative. The Philippines has made significant strides, including ratifying the Paris Agreement with ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs), supporting the Global Ocean Alliance and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, and championing the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s Advisory Opinion. Most recently, the 100 Days for the Ocean campaign, launched in partnership with the DFA and the Climate Change Commission, mobilized public awareness and political momentum around ocean protection and climate action.

Legarda has championed the country’s landmark environmental laws, such as the Climate Change Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, People’s Survival Fund Act, and the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act. (30)