The tide waits for no one

In a few days, I will travel to Mombasa, Kenya, to lead the Philippine delegation to the 11th Our Ocean Conference, the world’s premier gathering on ocean conservation, sustainable fisheries and marine governance. For the first time since its inception in 2014, the conference will be held on African soil under the theme, “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.”

To some, this may appear to be just another international conference.

It isn’t.

For the Philippines, the ocean is not merely a geographic feature. As an archipelagic nation of more than 7,600 islands, our seas shape our economy, our food security, our culture and our future.

Millions of Filipinos depend on the ocean every day. The fisheries sector supports more than 2.2 million Filipinos through fishing, aquaculture, processing, transportation and related industries. Across the country, approximately 2.7 million registered fisherfolk and fish workers rely directly on healthy marine ecosystems for their livelihoods.

Yet the challenges confronting our oceans have never been greater.

Recent figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority reveal a troubling trend. Total fisheries production declined by 15.3 percent during the first quarter of 2026, falling from more than one million metric tons during the same period last year to just 856,290 metric tons. Marine municipal fisheries, the sector most relied upon by small-scale fishermen, declined by 15.5 percent. Aquaculture production contracted by an even steeper 24.5 percent.

These are not merely numbers in a government report.

They represent fewer fish on family tables. Less income for fishing communities. Greater uncertainty for coastal provinces. And increasing pressure on one of our nation’s most important sources of food.

Behind every declining catch is a fisherman returning home with less than he expected. Behind every reduction in production is a family wondering how they will make ends meet.

At the same time, our marine ecosystems face mounting threats from pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, more commonly known as IUU Fishing.

Illegal fishing is among the greatest threats to the sustainability of our fisheries. It depletes fish stocks, undermines conservation efforts, distorts markets and places law-abiding fishermen at a severe disadvantage. Every fish caught outside the law is a fish taken away from legitimate fishing communities. Every unreported haul weakens our ability to manage marine resources responsibly.

For a country where fish remains one of the primary sources of protein for millions of households, the consequences extend far beyond the fishing industry. They affect food security, economic stability and the future of entire coastal communities.

This is precisely why the 11th Our Ocean Conference matters.

Since 2014, the conference has generated more than 2,900 commitments worth over $169 billion toward marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, climate resilience, marine protected areas and the development of a sustainable blue economy. It has become one of the world’s most important platforms for turning environmental commitments into measurable action.

This year’s gathering comes at a pivotal moment. Governments around the world are working toward the goal of protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030. Scientists increasingly warn that the decisions made during the next few years will determine the condition of our oceans for generations.

The Philippines has every reason to be at the forefront of that conversation.

Our voice carries particular weight because what happens in Philippine waters affects far more than our own shores.

Situated at the heart of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines is home to one of the richest concentrations of marine biodiversity on Earth. Our waters contain hundreds of coral species and thousands of marine species found nowhere else in the world. Blue whales have been documented in the waters of Batanes. Whale sharks migrate through our seas. Five species of marine turtles inhabit Philippine waters. The waters surrounding General Santos City support one of the world’s most important tuna fisheries, helping sustain regional food security and global seafood supply chains.

What happens in Philippine waters does not stay in Philippine waters.

Fish stocks migrate across national boundaries. Ocean currents connect ecosystems separated by thousands of kilometers. The destruction of critical marine habitats in one region can have consequences far beyond a single country’s exclusive economic zone.

That is why the National Statement of the Philippines matters.

When the Philippines speaks at the Our Ocean Conference, we do so not merely as a nation seeking solutions to our own challenges. We speak as stewards of one of the planet’s most significant marine ecosystems. We speak on behalf of millions of fisherfolk whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans. We speak as a country on the frontlines of climate change, where stronger storms, rising sea levels, coral bleaching and declining fish stocks are already affecting communities today.

The world cannot achieve its goals for marine conservation and sustainable fisheries without countries like the Philippines helping lead the way.

The world may gather in Mombasa to discuss the future of the ocean, but for the Philippines, that future is already here. It is measured in the catch hauled in by our fishermen, the food placed on Filipino tables and the marine ecosystems entrusted to our care.

The tide waits for no one, and neither should we.