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September 28, 2021 – As part of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo), the Department of Education (DepEd) launched the MANA Mo webinar series to raise awareness of the country’s maritime ecosystems and resources.

The MANA Mo webinar series supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation No. 316 signed in 2017, which mandates agencies to observe maritime biodiversity, resources, and cultural heritage protection and preservation every September.

With the theme, “Our Seas, Our Livelihood, Our Heritage: Connecting Lives and Nations,” the MANA Mo webinar series is being led by the Office of the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction (OUCI) through the Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD).

The webinar series started last September 6 and will end tomorrow, September 29 covering topics on Philippine coastal ecosystem and biodiversity, issues and management, and protection and preservation among others.

In the pilot episode of the webinar series, Ms. Desiree Eve Maaño, Chief of the Coastal and Marine Management Section, Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) discussed the topic “Discovering the Richness of Philippine Coastal and Marine Ecosystem and Biodiversity.”

“I think ang mga teachers po natin yung isa sa mga pinaka-influential sa buhay ng isang tao, so kayo po yung pwedeng mag-advocate talaga ng kung ano ba yung pwede maging impact ng basura sa karagatan, sa mga marine resources,” Ms. Maaño noted on teacher’s role in marine conservation awareness.

Meanwhile, BLD Director Leila Areola urged the teachers to watch the webinar series to integrate the lesson in classroom discussions.

“Marami po kayong pwedeng maging role para i-advocate natin yung tamang pamamaraan, saka yung mga sustainable activities para maituro natin sa ating mga kids at mga students,” she added.

Replays of the MANA Mo webinar series are available in DepEd Philippines Facebook page.

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