UN General Assembly
1996

Philippines is firmly committed to the protection of the environment within its national jurisdiction. Environmental protection is a vital consideration in the approval of major development projects. We shall conserve the ecological integrity of the Philippines exclusive economic zone as well as of its internal waters. As an archipelagic country whose exclusive economic zone extends to a portion of the South China Sea, the Philippines places particular importance on preserving the ecological integrity of that body of water, and would welcome the sharing of knowledge and experience gained from efforts to protect the environment in similar bodies of water elsewhere in the world. A potential threat to the environment arises from the growing use of nuclear energy in the generation of electricity. This growth has been particularly rapid in East Asia, producing nuclear waste with corresponding rapidity. While nuclear power is relatively clean as a source of energy, accidents in the operation of nuclear plants and in the disposal of nuclear waste can cause devastation for the environment as well as for human