Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

If the scientific community’s dire predictions come to pass, the active El Niño weather phenomenon that is widely predicted to reach its peak in the last quarter of this year – with the impact to be felt well into 2027 – will be among the worst on record, possibly exceeding the strength of previous cycles dating back to 1950.

Unfortunately for the Philippines, it was listed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the United Nations among the countries ‘at highest risk of severe humanitarian impacts’ caused or worsened by the ‘Super El Niño,’ which is characterized by hotter and drier conditions, meaning prolonged droughts, possible water shortages, extreme heat, and consequently further slowdown in the broader economy.

‘El Niño in Spanish means boy child-but it has the potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world. We are already seeing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods, and we expect these impacts to increase as El Niño intensifies,’ warned WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo.

‘This exceptional El Niño demands exceptional preparation and response,’ Saulo stressed.

Below-normal rainfall

Given such a clear and unequivocal warning, the Marcos administration should not tarry and put preparing for the potentially severe impact of El Niño at the top of its priority list, and shift its attention and resources away from inconsequential diversions to deal with what is rising to the level of an existential threat.

‘Let us not wait for our fields to turn to ash, our taps to run dry, and our people to collapse from the heat before we scramble for solutions,’ Sen. Erwin Tulfo, chair of the Senate committee on social justice, welfare, and rural development, last week said. ‘We have the science. We have the warnings. It is time to stop managing disasters after they happen, and start executing a decisive, proactive survival strategy.’

According to the first El Niño bulletin of the Department of Agriculture issued Sept. 26, 14 of the country’s 18 regions are already reeling from drought caused by the phenomenon that began to make its presence felt in the Philippines last June, so far causing P6.87 billion in damage to the agriculture sector and affecting 223,214 farmers.

More will be added to the tally as, by March 2027, all provinces will experience drought or below-normal rainfall, according to Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., leading to lower agricultural production and therefore even higher prices of key commodities, including key staples rice and corn.

El Niño Task Force

President Marcos did activate the El Niño Task Force earlier this year, precisely to get all of the frontline agencies together to shield the Philippines against the worst effects of El Niño, drawing from the painful lessons of previous episodes such as the 2023-2024 cycle that caused P15.3 billion in damage to the agriculture sector alone.

However, the task force has been criticized for being little more than a coordinating body, with lots of talking heads and individual actions across agencies that do not project enough sense of extreme urgency, considering the severe consequences of inadequate preparation.

No wonder then that a growing number of Filipinos have resorted to hoarding bottled water and buying water drums to feel some measure of control over their fate, despite government assurances that there is no reason to panic, with P46 billion set aside this year alone to cushion the impact of ‘Super El Niño’ on water supply, public health and safety, and food security.

Thus, Tulfo’s call for the task force to have ‘a clear plan, clear responsibilities, and, most importantly, the resources to act before the crisis paralyzes our communities.’

Scientific data

The excessive rains that fell at the conclusion of this year’s habagat season have fortunately filled up the country’s major dams, giving the government additional time to prepare for this year’s climate hazard that comes at a time when the Philippines is already wobbling from the weight of the Middle East oil crisis that has jacked up prices of basic goods and services.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel assured the public that the agency is now ‘more prepared,’ stocking up on food and farm inputs and deploying targeted interventions including fuel and fertilizer subsidies to areas expected to be hardest hit by the ‘very strong’ El Niño.

Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, meanwhile, said the agency was ready to conduct cloud seeding operations in agricultural and watershed areas to enhance water supply, while the Department of Science and Technology has committed to harness scientific data to regularly inform the public of the progress of the weather phenomenon.

The prosecution panel tried to ask the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) whether it maintains foreign accounts under Vice President Sara Duterte, but the Senate Impeachment Court blocked the inquiry as it is outside the subpoena’s scope.

During Wednesday’s resumption of Duterte’s impeachment trial, private prosecutor James Bryan Ibrahim Alih asked BPI Division Head Marwin Galvez whether Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, have foreign accounts with the bank.

However, Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero sustained the objection from respondent’s counsel, Michael Poa.

‘Sustained, not part of the subpoena issued by this court and covered by the FCDU law,’ Escudero said.

Escudero did not expound on what the FCDU law is, but it appears that he was referring to Republic Act No. 6426, or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act of the Philippines.

Section 8 of R.A. No. 6426, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1035 and Presidential Decree No. 1246, states that all foreign currency deposits ‘are hereby declared as and considered of an absolutely confidential nature.’

The same section noted that foreign currency deposits cannot be ‘examined, inquired or looked into by any person, government official, bureau or office whether judicial or administrative or legislative, or any other entity whether public or private,’ except if the depositor allows it.

Duterte is being tried before the Senate Impeachment Court over four main allegations: the alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, alleged bribery, and alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.

This week, the prosecution has presented evidence on Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which is about her alleged unexplained wealth and her supposed failure to disclose these in her SALNs.

Discussions have shifted to Duterte’s bank accounts after the prosecution’s witness, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, testified on Monday that the council flagged several transactions involving Duterte and her relatives worth P4.4 billion.

At one point, Buenaventura testified that Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had made P193 million worth of unique bank transactions in just one day, on March 28, 2014.

Later that day, Buenaventura testified that CALE88, the food company owned by Carpio that produces banana chips, got P319,326,770.41 from China, confirming the allegations made by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in a press conference last Friday.

Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros noted that her team studied the background of the two companies that transacted with CALE88 – China National Township Enterprises and the Beijing Jianweifang Food Company – revealing possible ties to the Chinese government.

Based on their research, Hontiveros said China National Township Enterprises used to be directly under China’s Ministry of Agriculture, being a state-owned agricultural enterprise.

Suspicious transactions are reported not solely due to negative media or gossip, Metrobank Anti-Money Laundering Division Head Atty. Niña Aguilar told the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday.

Aguilar said this during interjections from Senator-judges Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan, who asked about the basis for suspicious transaction reports (STRs) transmitted to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

‘For suspicious transaction reporting based on negative media, we generally file a suspicious transaction report if we have identified our customer as the subject of negative media and conduct further review on the transactions,’ Aguilar said.

She also shared that STRs require internal approvals, including her own, before they are submitted to the AMLC.

On Tuesday, an AMLC official bared some STRs under the accounts of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio.

Remarks under the STRs that tagged the transaction as malversation noted details from news reports.

Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano then compared using news reports as STRs without independent investigation to spreading gossip.

In his own interjection, Pangilinan pressed further on the thoroughness of reporting suspicious transactions.

‘So binubusisi niyo nang husto dahil you’re careful na hindi rin tama na magfile ng STR kung mali, o dahil walang basis o dahil news report lang?’ Pangilinan asked.

(‘So you’re scrutinizing it carefully because you’re careful that it’s not right to file an STR if it’s wrong, or because there’s no basis or because it’s just a news report?’)

Aguilar answered in the affirmative.

Pangilinan added: ‘So hindi lang base sa tsismis?’

(‘So it’s not just based on gossip?’)

‘Yes, your honor,’ Aguilar replied.

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Gabriela Women’s party Rep. Sarah Elago on Wednesday slammed the possible attendance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, citing rising inflation and concerns about other basic commodities.

The lawmakers were asked for comment on Marcos’s possible attendance at the event. Marcos is in Singapore from October 7-11 for a working visit, while the racing competition will be held from October 9-11 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

‘Kung itutuloy nya yan, manhid at tila bingi sa mga panawagan ng mga mamamayan sa kalagayang naghihirap nga, 7.2 percent inflation,’ Tinio told reporters in an interview.

(If he attends the event, he is numb and tone deaf to the calls of the people amid the 7.2 percent inflation.)

‘Samantalang hindi tinutugunan yung panawagan na magbaba ng presyo sa pamamagitan ng pagtanggal ng VAT [value-added tax] sa langis, kuryente, yung pagtaas ng sahod at sweldo, kawani, kahit yung allowance ng government employees, Pera,’ he added.

(The calls on lowering the cost of goods by removing the VAT on fuel products, electricity, and increasing the salaries of workers remain unheard.)

The inflation rate for September 2026 increased to 7.2 percent from August 2026’s 6.1 percent.

The Philippine Statistics Authority noted that food inflation increased from 4.6 percent in August to 6.7 percent this month.

Inflation in housing and utilities also rose from 7.9 percent to 8.4 percent.

Elago also cited the increasing prices of basic commodities and the lack of action on their call to abolish the 12 percent VAT.

‘Lubos na sa totoo lang ay nakakahiya po na ito pa may magbabyahe para dito sa walang kinalaman sa pangunahing pangangailangan ng ating kababayan sa panahon ng krisis,’ Elago said in the same interview.

(This is embarrassing because he will attend there amid the concerns of the people during this crisis.)

Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo Macaraig on Wednesday said that Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong invited Marcos to attend the event.

He added that the invitation will cost ‘almost no expense’ for the Philippine government, noting that Marcos will not have to pay for a ticket if he attends.

Fisherfolk and artists in Gubat, Sorsogon, turned a photography and poetry gathering into an expression of opposition to proposed coastal road projects, drawing attention to concerns about the bay’s environment and the livelihoods tied to it.

The activity, ‘LAKAT-LENTE nan RAWIT-DAWIT SA BAYBAYON: Photowalk x Poetry Reading at Gubat Bay,’ held Oct. 3, brought together fisherfolk, coastal residents, photographers, artists, poets, environmental advocates, students and other community members.

Organized by the Kurit-Lagting Art Collective with the Save Gubat Bay Movement (SGBM) and Rhymes of PEG, the activity was part of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk 2026 and Design Week Philippines, in partnership with the DTI Design Center of the Philippines.

Participants walked from St. Anthony of Padua Parish toward Gubat Bay, documenting people, livelihoods, heritage and everyday scenes along the coast. The activity culminated in a poetry reading at Calayucay Beach in Sitio Gumang, Barangay Cota na Daco.

Organizers said the activity was designed to look at Gubat not simply as a destination but as a coastal community dealing with development pressures, climate-related challenges and environmental changes that could affect biodiversity, livelihoods and community resilience.

During the event, fisherfolk and coastal residents also held an environmental action, carrying placards calling for the protection of seas and coastlines and expressing opposition to proposed coastal road projects.

‘The bay is not just a backdrop. It is where people live, work and earn their livelihood. Through this activity, we were able to bring the voices of fisherfolk and coastal residents into a creative space where more people can see why protecting Gubat Bay matters,’ said Allan Espallardo, SGBM president.

Longstanding concerns over coastal road

Opposition to coastal road construction is not new.

In 2022, local fishers and residents raised concerns over the construction of a coastal road along a roughly 3-kilometer stretch of Kalayukay Beach covering the villages of Balud del Norte, Cota na Daco and Cogon in Gubat.

The project was being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and was divided into two packages worth about P21.9 million and P74.6 million, respectively, according to a report at the time.

The following year, activist fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to inspect the project after reports that dead corals were being used in its construction.

By August 2025, the Save Gubat Bay Movement was again calling for an investigation into the coastal road, saying the project could affect small and subsistence fisherfolk in at least 13 coastal villages.

The group also raised concerns about soil being dumped along the shoreline and the possible impacts on mangroves and marine habitats.

Art becomes a platform for coastal concerns

Against this backdrop, the photowalk used photography and poetry to document the coastal community and its concerns.

‘Photography can do more than capture what is beautiful. It can help us see what is at stake. When we photograph the people, livelihoods and ecosystems connected to the coast, we are also creating a visual record of what communities want to protect,’ said Allan Abrigo, walk leader and co-founder of Kurit-Lagting.

Kurit-Lagting co-founder Geri Matthew ‘Choi’ Carretero said the activity was also meant to create a space for discussion about the coast and its future.

‘Lakat-Lente gave us a chance to use art to pay closer attention to the coast and the people connected to it. The images can become a way of opening conversations about what we value, what we need to protect and what kind of future we want for places like Gubat Bay,’ Carretero said.

The photowalk was followed by a poetry reading in which participants responded to stories and issues encountered during the walk.

‘Poetry gives us another language for expressing what we feel about a place. After seeing the coast through photographs and hearing from the community, the poems became another way of giving voice to our relationship with the sea,’ said Jessa Erandio of Rhymes of PEG.

The project was developed under Design Week Philippines’ ‘Sama All’ theme, which organizers said emphasizes collaboration among different people and creative disciplines.

Its format combined a guided design tour with performance and exhibition components, bringing questions about ecology, development and spatial rights into the community activity.

Kurit-Lagting said the event builds on its community-based work since 2011 and its previous collaboration with the DTI Design Center of the Philippines for Lakat-Lente in Pampanga in 2025.

The collective is also a member of the Sorsogon Arts Council and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines Bicol chapter.

I keep returning to the observation that when fighting a war, the first obstacle either side needs to overcome is that generals always end up fighting the last war when they start a new one. Just as it took decades to outgrow the habits inculcated by the people power of the ’80s and ’90s, it will take time to overcome the habits that have become ingrained due to past impeachments, even if the political landscape has changed drastically. The biggest change is in media consumption when media is supposed to be the given, and everyone is accordingly fighting for airtime. But what is the point of that fight if no one is watching?

The National Momentum Survey, which gave us an August snapshot of public opinion on the impeachment, shows that when it comes to never tuning in or tuning out, 50.3 percent say they did not follow the trial. In this era of ‘digital bombardment,’ as the author, James Marriott, writes in his disturbing book, ‘The New Dark Ages-The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-Literate Society,’ this isn’t surprising, and it’s well to consider the ongoing shift that has Marriott so worried: that we are headed to ‘a post-literate future that resembles the pre-literate past: mystical, tribal and autocratic.’

What is surprising is how we aren’t quite there yet, as far as Marriott’s fears are concerned. While 23.3 percent believe the defense is better than the prosecution (15.2 percent), people are split on whether evidence (36.8 percent) or public opinion (36.3 percent) should be the basis of a senator’s judgment, while 10 percent believe it should be conscience; 8 percent think it should be allied political interests. Interestingly, among the subgroups, the biggest percentages for conscience are the pro-Marcos at 18 percent, and of allied political interests, the pro-Duterte at 11 percent. Interestingly, the pro-Marcos and pro-Duterte roughly agree on public opinion; the pro-opposition and independents prefer evidence. But, really, either way, it’s pretty close even within these sub-groups. The split also exists geographically, exactly even in Metro Manila, opinion marginally ahead in the rest of Luzon, evidence marginally ahead in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Asked whether or not they agree that there were irregularities in the spending of confidential funds by the Veep, 43.3 percent agreed, 39 percent disagreed, with 12.9 percent unsure. In Metro Manila, only 1.4 percent separates those who agree (45.6 percent) from those who disagree (44.2 percent). The rest of Luzon is overwhelmingly convinced: 50.1 percent agree, only 29.7 percent disagree (Mindanao is the reverse: 48.4 percent disagree and only 29.6 percent agree); while in the Visayas, only 4 percent separates those who disagree (46 percent) from those who agree (42.1 percent). Gen Z seems most convinced: 51.9 percent agree and only 31.1 percent disagree. Very slightly more Millennials disagree (47.5 percent) than agree (38.9 percent) but more Gen X agree (41.6 percent) than disagree (40.7 percent) while slightly more Baby Boomers agree (36.6 percent) than disagree (33.4 percent).

All these numbers, of course, should be read according to other numbers from the same figures I’d mentioned before: the overall factional identification (or not) of people. To review: 67 percent pictured themselves as independents or not a supporter of either the administration or the opposition while 17.5 percent self-identified as supporting the administration; and those supporting the opposition comprised 10.4 percent. If attached to personalities, 45.5 percent are independents while 28.9 percent are supporters of the Dutertes, supporters of the Marcoses are 11.6 percent, and supporters of the opposition, 9.6 percent.

No surprise, then, 47.9 percent as of August said it was too early to decide on conviction, while convict (24.4 percent) exceeds acquit (16 percent). Subgroup results are interesting: for independents, 53.7 percent say too early to decide, 21.3 percent convict, 12.7 percent acquit. Pro-Marcos has 44.7 percent convict, 37.2 percent too early to decide, 8.7 percent acquit; pro-Duterte has, very interestingly, 55.5 percent too early to decide, 25.1 percent acquit, 10.2 percent convict; pro-opposition has 66.8 percent convict, 16.5 percent too early to decide, 10.6 percent acquit. Gen Z (27.2 percent vs 9 percent) Gen X (26.2 percent vs 15.8 percent) and Boomers (35.9 percent vs 17.8 percent) have more for conviction than acquittal; only Millennials have more for acquittal (21.8 percent) than conviction (16.3 percent).

All things considered, if the majority are keeping an open mind, their being divided on the approach to reaching a conclusion isn’t a cause for worry: there will come a time for a reckoning, anyway. What strikes me is the common-sense attitudes that seem to be prevailing: that you need to let things play out before you decide; that evidence matters, and public opinion matters, but partisanship matters far less than either of the above. But that, on the whole, there is a slight-very slight, to be sure, except within certain groups-edge for conviction rather than acquittal.

While we increasingly have the collective memory of a goldfish, we still have a lingering realization that we have been down this road before and there are, therefore, things to expect in the normal course of the proceedings. Most important of all is that we have a general sense of what makes a strong versus a weak case: the public opinion aspect where the audience’s views will, naturally, form part of the considerations of the verdict (it cannot buck public opinion unless explained very well).

Bank records presented in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial would be difficult to dispute unless there is evidence of tampering, Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Wednesday.

Castro, a lawyer, was asked about the evidentiary weight of bank records after financial documents involving Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, were presented before the Senate impeachment court.

‘The bank accounts presented by the bank representatives themselves have a significant impact and carry substantial value,’ Castro told reporters at the Philippine embassy in Singapore.

‘Bank records do not lie,’ she added.

Castro said such records would be difficult to dispute unless there was evidence of document tampering, which she said was rare because banks’ credibility and integrity were at stake.

She declined, however, to say how the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, should rule on the evidence against Duterte.

‘We do not want to speak about what decision the Senate or the senator-judges will make regarding the impeachment trial,’ Castro said.

She said the public should instead examine the evidence presented during the proceedings.

She said the evidence should establish what was contained in the bank accounts involving Duterte, Carpio and former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Castro also said Duterte should explain whether the funds reflected in the proceedings were legitimate and whether amounts cited during the hearing had been properly declared in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified on Monday that AMLC records showed 666 covered transaction reports and 55 suspicious transaction reports involving Duterte and Carpio.

The transactions amounted to about P4.4 billion from 2007 to 2025.

During cross-examination, however, Buenaventura said he had no personal knowledge of whether Duterte had amassed unexplained wealth. He said his testimony was based on records available to the AMLC.

The impeachment court also heard testimony from bank representatives as prosecutors presented financial records involving Duterte and Carpio.

The 2026 Miss Grand International pageant will hold its ‘Grand Final’ show at the MGI Hall at Bravo BKK in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday evening, Oct. 10, with the program streamed in real time on the Grand TV YouTube channel.

For this year’s competition, 78 delegates from different countries and territories are competing to inherit the title currently held by reigning queen Emma Tiglao, the second Miss Grand International titleholder from the Philippines.

The first cut of the competition will be for the semifinal round with the Top 20 delegates. Included in the roster will be the winners of the ‘Miss Popular Vote,’ ‘Grand Talent’ and ‘Country’s Power of the Year.’ The remaining 17 slots will be filled by the judges’ picks.

The Top 20 will compete in the swimsuit round, which will help determine who will advance to the Top 10 round. Nine judges’ picks will move forward, and will be joined by the delegate who will receive the most online votes from the public.

The Top 10 delegates will take part in the ‘Stop the War’ speech round, and will compete in the evening gown segment. Four judges’ picks will move on to the final round, and will be joined by the lady who will receive the highest number of votes from the online poll to complete the Top 5.

From the Final Five delegates, one will be crowned Miss Grand International 2026, while the remaining ladies will be proclaimed runners-up. Reina Filipinas Angelica Lopez is hoping to inherit the title from Tiglao and accomplish a ‘three-peat’ for the Philippines.

In last year’s competition, Tiglao received the crown from another titleholder from the Philippines, Christine Juliane ‘CJ’ Opiaza, the first Filipino woman to claim the ‘golden crown’ from the international pageant.

The 2026 Miss Grand International pageant is the 14th edition of the global beauty contest based in Bangkok. The 15th edition of the competition will also be held in the ‘Land of Smiles,’ as announced earlier.

The prosecution presents Philippine Savings Bank Department Head of Branch Operations Irene Joy C. Ishida as its witness for Article II of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. She was called to the witness stand to identify four active accounts among the 10 accounts maintained by Duterte and her husband, Manases ‘Mans’ Carpio.

The House Committee on Natural Resources began deliberations on Wednesday on four bills seeking to declare the Verde Island Passage (VIP) a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS).

The measures provide legal protection for the marine corridor, which spans waters off Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro and Marinduque.

Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Arnan Panaligan, Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javi Benitez, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and Batangas 3rd District Rep. King Collantes filed the bills.

The proposed legislation would also establish a multisectoral management board to oversee the protection and management of the passage, coordinate enforcement and compliance, and regulate activities considered harmful to its marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

‘This hearing is the result of the longstanding call from communities and organizations working to protect the Verde Island Passage,’ said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of the Protect Verde Island Passage (Protect VIP) campaign network.

‘From fisherfolk to scientists and environmental advocates, the call has long been clear: the VIP needs long-term and legal protection,’ he said.

Oil spill highlighted

The push for legislation gained urgency following the 2023 MT Princess Empress oil spill, which affected fishing communities and marine ecosystems in Oriental Mindoro.

The disaster prompted congressional inquiries into the environmental and livelihood impacts, including House Resolution No. 00854 authored by Panaligan.

For fisherfolk in the affected communities, protecting the VIP is closely tied to food security and livelihoods.

‘Pagkain, kabuhayan, at kinabukasan ng mga komunidad namin ang nakataya dito,’ said Aldrin Villanueva, a fisherfolk leader from Pola, Oriental Mindoro, and president of the Koalisyon ng mga Mangingisdang Apektado ng Oil Spill.

‘Kaming mga mangingisda, itong mga katubigan ng VIP ang bumubuhay sa mga pamilya namin. Kami ang mga pangunahing tagapangalaga nito, at kami rin ang unang maapektuhan sa mga sakunang nangyayari dito,’ Villanueva said.

(The VIP gives livelihood to us fisherfolk, so we are at the front line of its protection because we will suffer first when a disaster strikes the marine passageway)

‘Legal protection must come with clear safeguards, meaningful enforcement, and the participation of communities who depend on these waters,’ said Gerry Arances, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development.

He said the proposed VIP legislation should provide a framework that protects both marine ecosystems and the communities whose livelihoods depend on them.

Protect VIP said fisherfolk, coastal communities, scientists, faith groups, youth organizations and local governments would continue participating in discussions as Congress considers the proposed measures.