Monaco’s ruling Prince Albert II visited the Philippines, where he was welcomed with a luncheon in Malacañang. Prince Albert has a passion for the ocean and marine life and it was only natural that he took a trip to the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Sulu, which is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site, to go diving.Prince Albert was accompanied by the CEO of the Oceanographic Institute Foundation Albert I, Robert Calcagno and met up with the Tubbataha’s Protected Area Superintendent (PASu), Angelique Songco.He was presented to Tubbataha’s heroes, the park rangers and donated two satellite tags for turtles, courtesy of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, which the Prince’s great-grandfather inaugurated in 1910.Two turtles were fitted with the satellite tags, a 96-cm green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and a 53-cm hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), were named Jacques and Gabriella, after the Prince’s twin children with his wife Princess Charlene, who were born on 10 December 2014 at Monaco’s Princess Grace Hospital.Prince Albert spent an hour on Bird Islet, an important stop for migratory seabirds in the Sulu Sea, where he was briefed by Tubbataha Research officer Retchie Pagliawan on the status of the different species that roost there.He even picked up garbage on the way there, noting how ocean debris can be fatal to marine life.Prince Albert had arrived on April 6 for an official visit from 7 April to 8 April, but stayed on for a private visit from 9 April to 14 April .In Palawan, the Prince visited El Nido Resorts, Puerto Princesa, Tubbataha and Amanpulo, in cooperation with the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco and his own foundation, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.His dives were filmed to bring world attention to marine-protected areas. He also praised the work of the park rangers and Tubbataha park management.
