Legarda, Hontiveros renew push for blue economy: Make it a priority

[Updated July 11, 2025, 2:18 p.m.]

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed Blue Economy law has received renewed support from two senators who are hoping it will be recognized as one of the country’s priorities in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (Sona).

Marcos will address the nation in a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on July 28.

“As we look ahead to President Marcos Jr.'s 4th State of the Nation Address, I’m hopeful that some of the key measures we’ve already filed, like the proposed Blue Economy Act, will be recognized as national priorities,” Senator Loren Legarda said in a statement on Thursday.

“This bill will use our rich marine resources to drive inclusive economic growth, but it does so while protecting the environment and strengthening our coastal communities' resilience,” she added.

Legarda principally authored the measure in the Senate, where it was approved in August last year. A counterpart measure in the House was also passed in 2023.

READ: Lawmaker lauds House approval of Blue Economy bill

However, the 19th Congress ended on June 30 without enacting the measure, which aims to protect and utilize the Philippines’ vast maritime resources.

READ: Government urged to harness blue economy for national development

A renowned environmental champion, Legarda vowed to pursue the bill’s passage in the 20th Congress.

“We’re committed to pushing for the immediate passage of this and other measures that respond directly to the needs of our people,” she said.

A co-author of the bill, Senator Risa Hontiveros, is also hoping it will be mentioned in Marcos’ Sona.

"I'm very supportive of the Blue Economy Bill. I'm actually a co-author of it because we are truly a maritime and archipelagic nation,” Hontiveros said in Filipino in an interview at the Senate.

"It's not just about the West Philippine Sea; it's also about the rights and welfare of our fisherfolk and the health of our marine ecosystems. So yes, hopefully, that's one of the many important things the President will mention in his Sona,” she added.

The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement  (PRRM) believes the passage of the bill might help address the issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

"The hot issue now is the West Philippine Sea. If we can't even assert and develop what has been internationally recognized as ours, others will say, `if you can't even take care of the small ones, how much more the larger ones?''' PRRM President Edicio dela Torre said in a statement last year.

Alongside the Blue Economy Bill, the Center for West Philippine Studies and the National WPS Day were also proposed in the 19th Congress.

In the 20th Congress, Legarda has also filed the following measures, which she said will “respond to today’s most urgent challenges”:

• The Living Wage Act requires government agencies to meet the living wage necessary for a decent standard of living


• The Pangkabuhayan Act, which establishes a one-stop support system for small businesses and those who are underemployed or unemployed


• The Complementarity in Education Act, which helps public and private schools work together to expand student choices and access to quality learning


• The Open Government Data Act and the Results-Based Governance Act, both aimed at making government data accessible and ensuring agencies deliver real, measurable results

“We hope the Sona not only celebrates progress but also creates space for bold and forward-looking reforms that can truly uplift the lives of Filipinos,” Legarda said. /jpv /mr

 

(2025/07/11-09:35)

To read a full story, please click here to find out how to subscribe.