PRA Volunteers Join the 2023 International Coastal Cleanup
PRA volunteers in Tanza, Cavite during the 2023 International Coastal Cleanup.
Last 16 September 2023, around 138 sacks of mixed waste have been collected by volunteers from the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) along the shores of Cavite in observance of the 2023 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).
Imbibing the theme “Clean Seas for Healthy Fisheries”, PRA volunteers, spearheaded by the PRA Environmental Management Department, joined both 2023 ICC celebration in Barangay San Juan 1, Ternate, Cavite, and Barangay Capipisa, Tanza, Cavite on 15 September and 16 September, respectively.
Volunteers from PRA Environmental Management Department in the 2023 International Coastal Cleanup in Ternate, Cavite.
In Ternate, PRA is joined by local government officials and employees, Municipal Environmental Natural Resources (MENRO), Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and numerous people’s organizations and communities.
PRA volunteers segregating wastes and simultaneously logging data in the Clean Swell application.
Fifty-four volunteers from PRA participated in the ICC in Tanza, together with the Municipal Government of Tanza, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Provincial Government of Cavite, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), PCG, Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup Philippines, and other partners in the environmental management.
PRA volunteers started picking up trash along the coastlines of Tanza, Cavite from 7:00am until 9:00am.
The ICC, led by the Washington, D.C.-centered Ocean Conservancy, is a worldwide effort committed to combatting ocean pollution through the cleaning of beaches and waterways.
In the Philippines, ICC is executed as per Presidential Proclamation 470, designating every third Saturday of September as the day for ICC activities, and bestowing upon the Philippines the title of “the world’s cleanup leader.” This initiative fosters a spirit of watchfulness among Filipinos as they contribute to the ongoing global campaign against marine debris.
The Philippines has been actively engaged in ICC initiatives since 1994. While PRA has been participating in ICC since 2017, the Authority religiously conducts coastal cleanup activities in the Las Piñas – Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), now Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP), in previous years.
As part of its corporate values of responding to society’s needs, PRA’s regular participation in the ICC is in solidarity for the attainment of a common goal of cleaning up and taking care of our coastal waters. For this year’s ICC, the hashtag #SeaTheChange is a wordplay of people’s role and actions in creating a better environment by cleaning up coasts and oceans.