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Deep seas mineral mining: Sen. Risa Hontiveros raises her concern regarding the Philippines’ position on a treaty pertaining to deep seas mineral mining during the Commission on Appointments meeting on the nomination of Ma. Theresa Parreña Lazaro as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the ad interim appointments of 59 Foreign Service officials on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. “Advancement in remotely operated and underwater vehicles mean that harvesting deep seas resources is becoming economically feasible. At the start of a global summit on the seas in France, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor outside national waters, is proposing a global mining code to regulate such deep sea mining. How can we best advance our interest in this emerging field?” Hontiveros asked. Lazaro told Hontiveros that a growing number of experts, both in the bureaucracy and academe, are actively involved in the new concept of deep seas mineral mining. “We are very much involved, actively involved with the ISA on this particular matter,” Lazaro said. According to her, the Philippines’ position is that science should be very much part of the treaty since science will point out the aspects that will concern global mining. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)