ATTY. BRENDA V. PIMENTEL
In August 2016, I wrote about the need to protect the marine environment and the impact of not fully implementing the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol in 1978 (MARPOL). The Philippines ratified MARPOL and its Annexes I to V in 2000. I remember quite well how the Senate in conducting public hearings, prior to giving its concurrence to the proposed ratification, asked pertinent agencies i.e. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on why it took more than twenty years for them to work on the ratification of a very important maritime convention as was propounded by these agencies during the hearing.