ATTY. BRENDA PIMENTEL
Every year, the country celebrates National Maritime Week during the last week of September, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1094 issued in 1997 by then President Fidel V. Ramos. The celebration is in consonance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) program declaring the last Thursday of September as World Maritime Day. In time, IMO Member States were given the flexibility to decide on the exact day of celebration. In the Philippines, we opted to have a week-long celebration, perhaps a recognition of the importance attributed to the maritime circumstances of the country.