Las Piñas – Parañaque, Philippines – As part of the observance of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, CAVITEX, in partnership with the Financial Executives of the Philippines (FINEX), Integrated Bar of the Philippines PPLM and Cavite Chapter, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Dow Chemicals and PEATC volunteered for the coastal cleanup activity last September 22, 2018 at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA).
With the aim to save our seas and give back to the environment, contingents from the said companies were quick in responding to DENR’s call in dedicating a portion of their weekend thru picking up wastes in our coastlines and showing our care for mother nature.
Together with volunteers from MMDA, Maynilad, LGUs of Las Piñas and Parañaque, Philippine National Police, Philippine Marines and Philippine Navy, the CAVITEX volunteers were scattered across the 20 stations in the area, each sorting out the trash by its kind, and then recorded for data gathering purposes.
Items such cigarette butts, plastic food wrappers, beverage bottles, bottle caps and grocery bags constitute some of the most common items found in the coastline. The data gathered will be included with the ones collected in other coastal cleanup sites across the country that were all done simultaneously. These will be used for strengthening laws and policies in solid waste management and help raise awareness to the harmful effects of these wastes to the environment.
“Our annual participation in the International Coastal Cleanup is part of CAVITEX’s corporate social responsibility program focused on preserving the environment. This year, aside from our loyal partner FINEX, we’ve received additional hands from IBP, MAP and Dow Chemicals to clean up LPPCHEA, the last eco-tourism frontier in the Metro. And as we bring companies and people closer thru this activity, I hope that events like this will eventually lead to a trash-free community,” said Arlette Capistrano, AVP for Communication and Stakeholder Management of MPT South.
Also present to take part in this good cause are Senator Cynthia A. Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, DENR Sec. Roy A. Cimatu, and actress Antoinette Taus of Community Organize for Resource Allocation (CORA).
Held every third Saturday of September, the International Coastal Cleanup is an event spearheaded by the Ocean Conservancy group that aims to eliminate ocean trash. Since 1994, Philippines remain to be a top participating country in this global effort, recovering thousands of kilos of marine waste from its coastlines. During ICC events, volunteers are not only retrieving the waste from water bodies but are also asked to do a “waste audit” to tally the items found during the cleanup.
