Bordallo meets with RP’s President Arroyo

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo is participating this week in meetings with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Republic of the Philippines.

Arroyo arrived in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for a series of meetings to discuss environmental protection, United States foreign assistance, and regional economic integration, among other issues, with key U.S. government leaders including President Bush and members of Congress.

Today, members of the Congressional U.S.-Philippines Friendship Caucus will receive Arroyo on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, Bordallo joined Arroyo at a luncheon meeting with stakeholders of the “Coral Triangle Initiative.”

The Coral Triangle Initiative is an international partnership in the East Asian and Pacific region addressing two major threats: resource exploitation and climate change effects. The Coral Triangle Initiative focuses on protecting coral reefs from man-made and natural disturbances, developing sustainable fisheries, and ensuring food security for the region’s inhabitants. Several countries in the region, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands have partnered to launch the Coral Triangle Initiative, and leaders in each of these countries are working together to enlist more international partners both from within the non-governmental community and among neighboring nation-state governments for the initiative.

During the discussion at the luncheon meeting, Bordallo reaffirmed her commitment to international coral reef conservation, and commended the leaders and stakeholders that were present for launching the Coral Triangle Initiative.

“The Coral Triangle Initiative is an excellent example of multinational cooperation and partnership to protect our world’s most biologically diverse and richest concentration of corals,” said Bordallo. “It is an initiative whose success is underwritten with support from both the public and private sector, and I commend President Macapagal-Arroyo for her leadership in support of the Coral Triangle Initiative.”

As chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans, Bordallo said she remains committed to advancing coral reef conservation. Earlier this year, Bordallo introduced H. Con. Res. 300 to recognize the necessity for the United States to maintain its significant leadership role in improving the health and promoting the resiliency of coral reef ecosystems, which passed in the House of Representatives in May.

Bordallo also supports the Micronesia Challenge, an initiative spearheaded by President Remengesau of Palau and of which Guam is a partner to conserve 30 percent of marine resources and 20 percent of terrestrial resources across Micronesia by the year 2020.

Bordallo is also an original cosponsor and supporter of H.R. 1205, the Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act of 2007. Both H.R 1205 and H. Con. Res. 300 are pending in the U.S. Senate. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]