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INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY. Barangay Baluarte residents gather debris into piles for easy identification and tallying. Photo by Chev Duay/MMC.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — On September 16, 2017, in celebration of International Coastal Cleanup Day, coastal communities along the Macajalar Bay took action to address coastal environmental concerns.

Macajalar Bay Coastal Cleanup is an annual bay-wide activity jointly led by Macajalar Bay Development Alliance (MBDA) and Xavier University – McKeough Marine Center (XU-MMC) since 2012. This year, Ridge-to-Reef (R2R) young leaders joined the team as partner volunteer, with their expertise in information, education, and communication (IEC). 

Participants in this year’s cleanup included coastal barangays from 14 LGU members of MBDA (Laguindingan, Alubijid, El Salvador, Opol, Cagayan de Oro, Tagoloan, Villanueva, Jasaan, Balingasag, Lagonglong, Salay, Binuangan, Sugbongcogon, and Kinoguitan) and partner national government agencies such as Philippine National Police Regional Maritime Unit 10, Philippine Coast Guard, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources X, to name a few. 

The MBDA program management office, R2R young leaders, and the Xavier Ateneo community (XU-MMC, Biology Department, Marine Biology alumni, Ateneo Mountaineering Society, Nature Crusaders, and Biophilic Society) joined LGU Tagoloan at Barangay Baluarte.

The XU administration cluster members (Green Campus Agenda, Physical Plant Office, and Global Pro Personnel), XU Grade School Pueblo and Macasandig faculty and staff, and XU Junior High School Science Department faculty and students also participated in the activity at Barangay Bulua, Cagayan de Oro. 

The celebration of International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) was initiated by Ocean Conservancy (a US-based non-governmental organization) in 1986 and institutionalized in the Philippines in 2003 through Presidential Proclamation 470. 


MACAJALAR BAY COASTAL CLEANUP. Macajalar Bay Coastal Cleanup is an annual, bay-wide activity jointly led by Macajalar Bay Development Alliance and Xavier University – McKeough Marine Center since 2012. Photo collage courtesy of Friday Atilano/MMC.

ICC, held every 3rd Saturday of September, is the largest volunteer effort for our oceans. People around the world come together and remove trash from coasts. Besides the latter, it aims to actually identify and record trash collected. 

The celebration targets to raise awareness and accountability on the severity of coastal and marine pollution, particularly plastic, consequently evoking behavioral change among the stakeholders. 

In Macajalar Bay, specifically, results will be valuable in lobbying policies and improving solid waste programs of the LGUs.

Data from previous cleanups consistently show plastic materials being the top waste collected.

In a 2015 study published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Philippines ranked third in the list of top sources of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.∎


LOCAL LEADER. Barangay Baluarte chairman Rogelio Sambaan gives his welcome remarks. Photo by Chev Duay/MMC.


XAVIER ATENEO. Some representatives from Xavier Ateneo community (XU-MMC, Biology Department, Ateneo Mountaineering Society, Nature Crusaders and Biophilic Society) were assigned at Brgy Baluarte, Tagoloan. Photo by Chev Duay/MMC.


SUCCESSFUL CLEANUP. MBDA, Ridge-to-Reef young leaders, and members of the Xavier Ateneo community strike a pose with Brgy Baluarte residents behind sacks of collected trash. Photo by Julie Butron/MMC.

 


BRGY BULUA. Xavier Ateneo community and Global Pro personnel at Brgy Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City. Photo from Beth Diaz.


YOUNG STEWARDS. XU Junior High School students and faculty at Brgy Bulua in Cagayan de Oro after the coastal cleanup. Photo from Jenny Aligno


COASTAL CLEANUP. Group of junior high students working together to take out debris from the substrate. Photo from Jenny Aligno.