PCG: The Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (TRNP) may soon become part of the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) of the world.

The possibility was presented today by Dr. Jay L. Batongbacal, Director of the UP Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (UP-IMLOS), during the 2nd National PSSA Workshop at The Hub @Kilometer Zero, Rizal Park, Manila.

If considered, the TRNP will be known as the 14th PSSA of the world and the first in Asia.

According to Dr. Batongbacal, the drafted proposal to designate TRNP as a world PSSA will be part of the agenda for the upcoming 69th Meeting of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC 69) of the International Maritime Organization on March 2016.

A PSSA is a marine protected area by the IMO recognized for its ecological, socio-economic and scientific attributes that may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities.

Should the TRNP be acknowledged as a PSSA, the Philippines will then be able to adopt and enforce associated protective measures applicable to international shipping.

The said workshop was hosted by the PCG-Marine Environmental Protection Command under the headship of COMMO ELSON E HERMOGINO PCG, and was attended by representatives from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and UP-IMLOS.