Arroyo, 5 other state heads launch Coral Triangle Initiative

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and five other Asia-Pacific leaders on Friday launched an initiative aiming to create a patrol team that will oversee the protection and preservation of marine life in the Coral Triangle. According to an article on the Office of the President’s website, President Arroyo and five other heads of state signed the creation of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CFF) in Indonesia. The Coral Triangle is a geographical term that refers to the waters of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste that encompass 75 percent of all species known in the world. "For too long, we have let our environment become degraded, our natural resources diminished, our social contract with nature destroyed. It is time to rebalance our approach: develop a strong economy, provide full employment and maintain the sacred relationship of human beings to Mother Earth," President Arroyo said in a speech during the summit. Aside from President Arroyo, other signatories were Malaysia Prime Minister Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare, Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua, and Democratic Republic of Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta. The leaders vowed to “recognize that the implementation of the CTI-CFF is a voluntary cooperation and without prejudice to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, sovereign rights of the six countries respectively over their marine resources, and the position of each state on the on-going and future negotiation on delimitation of maritime boundaries between the countries." The summit is a result of Yudhoyno's CTI proposal at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth summits. "To a world struggling with global warming, we are showing the way toward a united front to keep our biodiversity intact, our food resources strong and our environment pristine," President Arroyo said. - Katrina Louise Francisco, with Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV