On 23 February 2024, the ADDU Center for Politics and International Affairs in partnership with the United States Embassy in the Philippines organized a round table discussion entitled Mindanao Maritime Security: A Multisectoral Approach in Understanding its Importance, Challenges, and Opportunities. The focus of the RTD was on Mindanao, which is the second largest island of the Philippine archipelago, being at the Southern juncture of maritime routes essential to the economic development and security of the Asia-Pacific region. Considering the threats of terrorism, migration flows, human trafficking, and other illicit activities that are happening along its coasts and maritime areas, maintaining stability in Mindanao is vital in sustaining peace and security in the region to ensure that economic progress will continue.
During the RTD, enriching and critical insights were raised by representatives coming from various sectors of the Philippine government and the academe. These included CG ADM Ronnie Gil L. Gavan, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard; Dir. Olie B. Dagala of the Mindanao Development Authority; Atty. Joanna Karla Guilonsod, Chief of Fisheries Law Enforcement at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; Regional Dir. Felisa N. Orongan of the Maritime Industry Authority; Capt. Constancio Arturo M. Reyes, Jr. of the Philippine Navy; PPO1 Mark John Delos Reyes of the Philippine Ports Authority – Davao Port; Intelligence Officer 1 Shaif Macmod C. Guro of the Bureau of Customs; Prof. Christian Pasion, MS – Chair of the ADDU Economics Department; and Dir. Gregory Poling of the Asia Maritime Transparency Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States. Apart from these dignitaries, the RTD was also attended by faculty and students of the ADDU community as well as guests affiliated with the Philippine Armed Forces and other government agencies.
