Vietnam develops an integrated framework for sustainable use of marine and ocean resources: Philippine Ambassador

Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III. (Photo: Ngoc Anh)

Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III gave an interview to The World and Vietnam Report on marine governance on the sidelines of the Vietnam Maritime Forum 2026 in Hanoi, on October 2, 2026.

Ambassador, Philippines has extensive experience in managing marine products and marine management. Which of these experiences are applicable to Vietnam in applicable to Vietnam the specific conditions?

One of the most untapped potentials of maritime resources and maritime environment is the blue economy. If you look at the economies of almost all countries, it's all land-dependent. And yet the resources in the oceans and waters are more than what is on land. But it is now that we are slowly realizing this potential.

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In ASEAN, we have adopted a blue economy agenda, so it is where ASEAN countries, Philippines, Vietnam, and the others, could learn more how to manage the marine resources better and tap these resources for national development.

So that is one area where there is so many potentials for collaboration not only between the Philippines and Vietnam, but among ASEAN countries. And it is important to note that our countries, Philippines, Vietnam, and others, have a very deep bench on marine scientists.

So they're just waiting to be tapped, and now we're slowly seeing governments tapping into this rich human resource. So expect the blue economy to play a more increasing role in the national development of the Philippines, Vietnam, and the region.

In your perspective, how can science and technology play an important role in integrating ecosystem conservation with coastal economic development?

We have to notice that science diplomacy is not the number one priority of many countries. And yet we cannot come and manage and tap resources in the ocean without understanding the science behind it.

For example, if you look at the reefs and the atolls in it the East Sea, you will see as a scientist that these are connected. These are not isolated reefs and islands, but they form one whole connected piece of resource.

This is important because we cannot have one part undeveloped, unmanaged, and yet we concentrate our development and management in another part without realizing that one area affects the other.

So science is very important because it provides a neutral data based on nature that governments should be able to tap in order to have an integrated policy towards using oceans and seas.

And I see in the discussions of the speakers this morning that Vietnam is coming up with an integrated framework to promote the use of the oceans and the seas, and this is important because science would show us that no particular area can be isolated from each other.

Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong delivers the closing remarks at the Vietnam Maritime Forum 2026. (Photo: Thanh Long)

What steps can Vietnam take to strike a balance between economic development, nature conservation, and the ecological well-being of local community?

All these three areas go together. Again, they cannot be isolated. You cannot have development without better management of the resources. If you have better management of the resources, then it will benefit the local community.

So government plays a very important role because it is there to provide information to the coastal community so that they would become part of the resource of the state to protect and manage resources.

In the Philippines, we have a concept called “community science”, where we ask the community to monitor the marine environment. Why is this so? Because they are the ones on the ground. You cannot have government scientists placed all over the different coastal communities.

You have to tap the communities to do their work and help government, but they are only able to do that if you tell them why it is important, because it is government that provides the holistic perspective on what the resources are.

Thank you so much!

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