MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urged Filipinos to rediscover and embrace the nation’s maritime heritage, calling for collective stewardship of the country’s seas and shores during the commemoration of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) 2025.
In his message, Marcos described the seas as both “our cradle and our crucible,” emphasizing their dual role as sources of prosperity and historic conflict.
He highlighted the strategic importance of maritime governance in securing economic strength, community safety, and national sovereignty. Marcos stressed that effective maritime governance requires long-term vision, intertwining geography with strategic policy and transforming stewardship into prosperity.
He also underscored the seas’ role as “the richest reservoirs of food and the widest corridors of trade,” citing key bodies like the National Maritime Council and the Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns as central to advancing sectors such as agriculture, energy, commerce, and science.
The President called on institutions to align science with law, on communities to embrace stewardship as part of their identity, and on leaders to govern with foresight that extends beyond their own time.
