Thirteen (13) personnel from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) benefited from the Foreign Service Institute’s (FSI) seminar on Archipelagic Consciousness. Their work entails raising public awareness in protecting the country’s archipelagic domain. FSI’s Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy (CPRSD) organized the seminar last March 21.

Hon. Generoso D.G. Calonge, DFA Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs, talked about the archipelagic state principle and the diplomatic, legal, political, security, economic, and developmental implications of being an archipelagic state. He also explained the Philippine legal framework on archipelagic baselines, maritime zones, and archipelagic sea lanes.

Lt. Commander Lazaro Ernesto C. Valdez of the Philippine Coast Guard discussed the various safeguards implemented in preserving the Philippines’s security of navigation. He also talked about the importance of maritime domain awareness and its impact on the country’s maritime security, safety, and economy.

The one-day seminar was aimed at providing awareness of the country’s geography; basic understanding of the legal, political, security, economic, developmental, and diplomatic implications of being an archipelago, and appreciation of the centrality of the archipelagic state principle to the country’s national and foreign policy.