[New post] UP sends off MSI’s expedition to the Kalayaan Island Group
Franco Gargantiel II posted: "An expedition for the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) is about to commence in October 2023. To celebrate this launch of this expedition, a send-off party was held at the BOR Room of Quezon Hall in UP Diliman, with UP-MSI an" University of the Philippines
An expedition for the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) is about to commence in October 2023. To celebrate this launch of this expedition, a send-off party was held at the BOR Room of Quezon Hall in UP Diliman, with UP-MSI and UP System officials in attendance.
The expeditionary team, which is comprised of 13 researchers from UP-MSI, two from the Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), and 11 ship crew of M/V PANATA, will sail to the Pagasa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan. This expedition, which will take place from October 19 to 30, is part of the UP-MSI's twice yearly cruise to Pagasa and is partly funded by the national government funded-project entitled "Philippine Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System" (POMPS). The project specifically aims to conduct field and oceanographic surveys as part of the periodic monitoring of the immediate environments around Pagasa island; to conduct maintenance activities on the Pagasa Island Research Station systems; and to survey the island for a possible location of an Earthquake Monitoring station on the island.
This is the fifth such expedition the UP-MSI has undertaken this year.
Among the UP System officials in attendance were Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara and Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, as well as Adviser for Collaboration and Alliance Building-State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Colleges and Universities (LCUs) Mr. Felizardo Colambo, and UP Political Science Assistant Professor Ranjit Singh Rye.
Representatives from the UP-MSI gave a brief overview of their upcoming expedition. These representatives include UP-MSI's director Dr. Laura T. David, Chief Scientist of the expedition Dr. Cesar L. Villanoy, Dr. Caroline Marie B. Jaraula, Leilani A. Solera, Dolly C. Manic, Jimiah Villanueva, Mariel Jean Carreon, Natasha Charmaine Tamayo, and Yam Tolentino.
When asked about the importance of this expedition, David shared that only 40% of the coral reefs in the Philippines are in the West Philippine Sea. "And yet, we cannot monitor these regularly. So how do you manage it? How do you make adjustments to how you take care of it? How do you extract the resources from it?" she pointed out.
She explained that it is important to make regular expeditions such as this to ensure the safety and protection of these natural resources. "The more ships we can have there, and the more institutes that can join us, the better," she said.
Both the MSI and the UP System look forward to the success of this expedition and the benefits it will bring for both UP and the country.
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