Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
Tacloban City–Oceana, a global ocean conservation organization, has appointed Von Hernandez to lead its campaigns in the Philippines. Hernandez, a Goldman Prize-winning environmental leader, will focus on protecting marine biodiversity and supporting local communities.
The Philippines sits at the heart of the world’s richest marine biodiversity, which feeds and sustains the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos. But artisanal fishers, who provide nearly half of the country’s fish, are under tremendous pressure from many threats. These include illegal fishing by commercial vessels, climate change, pollution, and challenges in keeping their catch fresh,” said James Simon, CEO of Oceana. “Von’s lifelong commitment to people and the environment makes him the perfect choice to help us deliver real, lasting change for local communities and oceans alike.”
Over two million small-scale Filipino fishers are among the nation’s most vulnerable and food insecure. Oceana has been supporting fisherfolk in their struggle against illegal commercial fishing in municipal waters for over a decade.
This includes in the face of persistent challenges, most recently from a flawed preliminary Supreme Court decision that allows commercial fishers in waters previously reserved for artisanal ones.
Hernandez will oversee this ongoing work, along with Oceana’s other campaigns. These include protecting coral-rich Panaon Island, ending the destruction of mangroves, and reducing pollution from single-use plastic. Finally, he will oversee Oceana’s newest campaign in the Philippines focused on reducing fish loss and strengthening local livelihoods.
“Our nation holds some of the world’s most beautiful and bountiful seas – a vital lifeline for millions of Filipinos. Yet, it’s a profound injustice that the artisanal fishers who provide food for our tables often struggle to sustain their families, while our oceans are suffocated by plastic polluters and plundered by unmitigated commercial and destructive fishing interests. Accepting this role is an honor and a commitment: to fight relentlessly for the protection of our oceans, defend the livelihoods of artisanal fishers, hold polluters and abusers accountable, and ensure that our oceans remain a source of life, not a casualty of greed,” said Hernandez.
Prior to joining Oceana, Hernandez served as the Global Coordinator of Break Free from Plastic, mobilizing more than 3,500 organizations worldwide to drive systemic solutions to end plastic pollution and reduce reliance on unnecessary single-use plastics. Before that, he served as Global Development Director of Greenpeace International and Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Hernandez has led campaigns against deforestation, coal and nuclear power, and toxic pollution. His early work was instrumental in the passage of landmark environmental laws in the Philippines, including the Ecological Waste Management Act and the Clean Air Act, which banned toxic waste incineration and established frameworks for ecological waste management (for which he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2003). He co-founded the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, which has grown to include 1,000 member organizations across 90 countries.
Since opening its office in the Philippines in 2014, Oceana has made significant progress to support small-scale fishers, stop illegal fishing, strengthen coral-rich marine protected areas, and cut single-use plastics. Oceana will continue to work to ensure that the Philippines achieves sustainable fisheries and healthy oceans for the benefit of all Filipinos.
