Stronger maritime security eyed

MANILA, Philippines — At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, the Philippines demanded stronger maritime security for Filipinos, who make up 25 percent of the world’s seafarers.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said seafarers form an indispensable lifeline of global commerce, with nearly 90 percent of world trade moving by sea, supported by close to two million seafarers, adding that more than 25 percent of those seafarers are Filipinos.

“They are essential workers, yet increasingly vulnerable to conflict and attacks at sea,” Lazaro said, noting a recent incident in the Strait of Hormuz which claimed the lives of two Filipino seafarers and injured many others.

The two Filipino seafarers died following an attack in the Strait of Hormuz while aboard the M/V SIDR on Aug. 31.

“Their tragedy reminds us: Maritime security is human security. As an archipelagic and maritime nation, the Philippines cannot separate the safety of ships and seafarers from supply chains and global commerce,” Lazaro said.

She stressed that millions of migrant workers are entitled to full human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of status, and deserve steadfast protection from trafficking and exploitation along perilous migration routes.

“Open and secure seas, free from interference and coercion, are vital to our security, our economy and our people,” she said, emphasizing that international law, along with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), must remain firmly as the constitution of the oceans.

Lazaro noted that 2027 marks the 45th anniversary of UNCLOS and the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes.