Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr.

Address at the Opening Ceremony of the International Atomic Energy Agency's International High-Level Forum on NUclear TEChnology for Controlling Plastic Pollution

delivered 25 November 2025, Conrad Hotel Manila, Pasay City, The Philippines

Audio mp3 of Address       Audio AR-XE mp3 of Address

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

Thank you to our Foreign Affairs Secretary, Secretary Tess Lazaro -- Oh, please be, please be seated¹ -- the Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps; Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla; Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Popo Lotilla; Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.; the Philippine Ambassador to Vienna and permanent representative to the IAEA, Luli Arroyo-Bernas; Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano; the International Atomic Energy Agency officials and delegates headed by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi; Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda; fellow workers in government; our -- our important private sector partners; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

The Philippines is honored to convene this High-Level Forum at a moment when nations are redefining how science and technology shape their development trajectories. Across the world, environmental pressures are converging with rapid technological change. Leadership today demands not only political will, but an ability to integrate scientific evidence, cutting-edge research, and strategic foresight into national and global decision-making.

Plastic pollution is emblematic of this new era of challenges: global in scale, persistent in impact, and deeply entangled with the way economies grow. It affects biodiversity, public health, supply chains, the lives of our coastal and urban communities. Addressing it requires going beyond regulation and advocacy. It requires technology that is credible, scalable, grounded in rigorous science. And that is why the Philippines is proud to champion the NUTEC Plastics Initiative of the IAEA. NUTEC Plastic[s] embodies the kind of in -- innovation that we need -- solutions that merge advanced nuclear applications with environmental protection, to translate scientific progress into tangible benefits for industry and for society.

Our scientific institutions here in the Philippines have embraced this challenge, building on the strength of international scientific cooperation. Under the Post-Radiation Reactive Extrusion of Plastic Wastes Project, or PREx, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, together with the Industrial Technology Development Institute and its industry partner, Envirotech, have developed a breakthrough process that transforms low-value plastic waste into durable, commercially viable materials. The PREx Prototype House stands today as a tangible output of this initiative.

But beyond a demonstration of breakthrough nuclear technology, it is a prototype of the future circular economy. It shows how radiation technology can enhance polymer properties, reduce material degradation, create new industrial uses for plastics where there were none before. And this is how innovation reshapes a sector: by converting to what we once called “waste” into new value.

I am delighted that the delegates will have a chance to visit the PREx Prototype House during this conference. I want to go and visit this one also, so please find time in my -- I’m very, very interested. I’m very excited by this new technology. It is -- It is providing a solution, a very important solution to a very difficult problem that we face, not only here in the -- in the Philippines, but in the rest of the world.

And similarly, to this -- the -- our prototype house, the marine microplastics monitoring laboratory established with the IAEA at the UP or University of the Philippines -- Marine Science Institute equips Filipino researchers with the tools to quantify microplastic pollution with scientific precision. Data generated here informs global models, strengthens policy interventions, and helps us track the real-time impact of plastics on marine ecosystems.

Today, we at the IAEA, we launched a NUTEC Plastics Investment and Partnership Brochure, which outlines pathways for governments, industries, research agencies to scale up investment in nuclear science for environmental protection and for industry growth. Science does not progress in isolation. It advances through networks of regulators, scientists, investors, community stakeholders; and the Philippines is committed to building such networks, locally and across all borders. Our work in NUTEC Plastics complements our broader cooperation with the IAEA in food and water security, health, agriculture, energy, and disaster resilience.

In September, I signed Republic Act No. 12305, the Philippine Nuclear Law -- our first comprehensive regulatory framework covering nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and the peaceful applications of nuclear technology. It is a foundational reform. It gives our scientists now and industries as well a stable, predictable environment to innovate responsibly. It also signals that the Philippines is ready for deeper, science-driven cooperation with global partners.

As we assume the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] Chairship for 2026, technology and sustainability will form a central part of our leadership agenda. The ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy, ASEANTOM, is already a very strong platform. We intend to expand its work, enhancing nuclear science literacy, laboratory networks, and regulatory harmonization across the region. NUTEC Plastics is a model for how ASEAN can collaborate on science-based solutions on transboundary problems.

The world is undergoing a technological shift as consequential as the Industrial Revolution. The leaders of this century must not only adopt new technologies; they must ensure that these technologies are aligned with human well-being, with ethical standards, with environmental integrity, and with sustainable growth.

As the United Nation[s] marks its 80th year, we are reminded why multilateralism remains indispensable. The UN was built on the premise that global challenges demand collective solutions -- solutions rooted in cooperation, in rules, and in shared responsibility.

The Philippines has consistently championed this approach, from climate action and disaster resilience to emerging technologies. Our engagement with the IAEA and our support for science-based responses to plastic pollution reflect that same conviction: that durable progress comes not from acting alone, but from strengthening the international system that makes such cooperation possible. This Forum is part of that commitment. It reflects a belief that the peaceful uses of nuclear science can uplift communities, support green industries, and strengthen the resilience of nations.

To Director General Grossi and all our partners: Thank you for your leadership, and thank you for your trust. The work that we begin here does not end with this Forum. It must continue in our laboratories, our manufacturing plants, our coastal communities, and every policy space where science can make a difference. Let us move forward with clarity, with confidence, and scientific ambition, so that future generations inherit a world where technology protects the environment, strengthens economies, and expands opportunities for all.

Thank you, and I wish everyone a productive conference.

Good morning.

¹ President Marcos has self-interrupted his remarks with "please be seated" enough times in the speeches appearing on AR that one could be forgiven for wondering whether it's an affirmative rhetorical tactic designed to encourage audience rapport.

Original Text and Audi9o Source: pco.gov.ph

Audio Note: AR-XE = American Rhetoric Extreme Enhancement

Page Created: 11/29/25

U.S. Copyright Status: Text and Audio = Public domain per this notice on the Philippine Government website: "All content is in the public domain unless otherwise stated."