PANGILINAN LAUDS SHANGRI-LA HOTEL's "SUSTAINABLE
SEAFOOD POLICY" AND BANNING OF SHARK FIN SALE,
URGES OTHER HOTELS TO FOLLOW SUIT

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, lauds the move by hospitality giant Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts for adopting a "Sustainable Seafood Policy."

In a press release dated January 17, Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts announced its "commitment to cease serving shark fin in all of its operated restaurants as well as accepting new orders for shark fin products in banqueting with immediate effect... At the same time, Shangri-La announced that it will phase out Bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass in all its operated restaurants within the year. In December 2010 the company initiated the process with the removal of shark fin products from its restaurant menus. The new policy is a continuation of Shangri-La's journey towards environmental support."

The policy will take effect in "72 hotels and resorts" owned and operated by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

"We laud this initiative because it sends a strong statement for sustainable business practices and for responsible fishing throughout the world," Pangilinan says. "The private sector has the power to influence consumer behavior, and if they lead the way for more ethical and sustainable actions such as this, then consumers will be educated and, we hope, will eventually stop patronizing products that can endanger the environment."

The senator adds, "We need to remember that when we endanger the environment, we are also endangering our very source of food and the source of livelihood for up to sixty percent of our countrymen. We cannot keep pillaging the Earth until there's nothing left for our children and for future generations."

Pangilinan also urges other hotels and restaurants to adopt similar "sustainable seafood policies." "In fact, let us not just limit it to seafood. We urge other hotel and restaurant owners, and all involved sectors in the private sector, to start adopting sustainable practices not only for seafood but also for vegetables, livestock, and other agricultural products. It will be good for the environment but also good for business, as more and more consumers are now becoming aware of the need to take care of the environment while ensuring profitability."