Article by Meckhan Tagarda & Nestor M Banuag Jr 

Volunteers gather at the shoreline, united in purpose

Amid the festivities of the Xavier Festival Days 2025, a different kind of celebration unfolded at dawn—one rooted in service, stewardship, and solidarity. On 6 December 2025, volunteers from Xavier Ateneo marked the University’s annual celebration not with lights or music, but with bayanihan along the shoreline of Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.

Aligned with this year’s Festival Days theme, ‘Mission Forward: Nurturing Legacies, Serving Communities,’ and XU’s mission as a Laudato Si’ University, the activity emphasized ecological awareness, community involvement, and shared responsibility for creation.

The clean-up was organized through the partnership of the XU Social Development Cluster (XU SOCDEV) through the Social Involvement and Advocacy Program (SIAP)and the McKeough Advancement for Environment, Resilience, and Sustainability (MAERS) Center. Volunteers from XU faculty, staff, formators, SIAP’s student volunteers, the School of Business and Management (SBM), College of Nursing (CON), and the Arrupe Educational Center’s Night School Program (NSP) joined the effort, together with fisherfolk representatives from Jasaan.

 

Realizations at Sunrise

“We can see how through time, nature heals itself but it takes our efforts to ensure and allow the environment to grow and thrive again.”

Keziah Loucille Mallorca, a formator of the Social Involvement and Advocacy Program (SIAP), shared that this year’s coastal clean-up felt different because it brought together a wider and more diverse group of volunteers.

“Compared with the previous engagements we organized, I found this year’s coastal clean-up drive unique because it gathered various members of the XU community, including learners from the XU Night School Program,” Mallorca said. “Seeing everyone work side by side showed how environmental responsibility becomes more meaningful when more voices are involved.”

She also highlighted how the event opened an opportunity for participants to explore a part of Xavier University that most of them had never seen before.

“Many of our volunteers visited the XU Marine Station for the first time, which became a great opportunity for the community to learn about XU’s role in sustainability and marine protection through MAERS,” she added.

Xavier University McKeough Advancement for Environment, Resilience, and Sustainability (MAERS) Center carries out marine conservation and research projects in the coastal municipality of Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.

Mallorca set the tone for a day shaped by discovery and purpose, and for many volunteers, the experience went beyond simply picking up trash; it challenged the way they viewed their everyday habits.

“As a business student, this activity really struck me,” shared Ms Althea Galla, a student volunteer from SBM and the Director of the XU Junior Marketing Association (XU-JMA) Department of Mission and Social Involvement, as she gathered different types of debris from the shoreline.

She added, “Most of the debris we collected came from products produced by industries that we, as business and marketing students, are being trained to be part of in the future—plastic food packaging, hygiene products, and even clothing.”

Many volunteers shared the same surprise. Much of the waste scattered along the shore came from ordinary household items—plastic wrappers, glass bottles, food containers, and remnants of fast fashion—washed in from nearby or even faraway communities.

Some debris were old and buried, trapped between rocks; others looked newly swept in by the tide. This showed that coastal waste isn’t only a result of littering at the beach—it is tied to daily habits, consumer choices, and waste management systems far from the shore.

For Althea, who also represents Xavier University’s Junior Marketing Association and is a member of the Ateneo School for Upcoming Leaders, the experience became deeply personal.

“We recognize that in the future, we will become part of industries that have long contributed to environmental pollution by prioritizing profit over the well-being of our planet. This activity reminded us that we have the power—and the responsibility—to challenge that system.”

 

Small Pieces, Big Consequence

Volunteers pass debris hand to hand

“Ang debris isn’t just trash na ga stay around; maka-hatag pud siya ug sakit. Kailangan jud ta kabalo mag-segregate,” shared by Ms Joie Oliveros from the College of Nursing, emphasizing that the health dimension of waste is often overlooked.

Beyond being an eyesore, accumulated debris becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, sharp hazards, and chemical residue. These risks affect both people and marine life, especially in areas where fishing and shoreline access are part of daily living. As Keziah Mallorca reminded the volunteers, “Climate change does not only affect us through natural disasters but it also impacts marine life, food security, and even our own health.”

Volunteers were reminded that cleaning the coast is aligned with SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 13 (Climate Action)—global goals that Xavier University actively advances through its academic, research, and community engagement programs.

“We can help out by simply throwing our trash in designated areas and participating in community outreaches and engagements such as these.”

 

The Mission Forward

A mother (and NSP learner) and her child join the movement

“Dapat jud ‘clean as you go’ ang karagatan kay kita jud magkasakit gyapon,” said Raymond, a high-school-level learner from the Night School Program, as he picked up plastic scraps and dropped them into a garbage bag. “Kung naay managat sa dagat, mag-cause jud siya ug sakit.”

Living near the busy streets around campus, Raymond has seen litter daily—and has also felt the consequences firsthand after falling sick in the past. Hearing the nursing volunteers explain how bacteria from debris can travel and spread illness helped him finally connect the dots.

“Na-realize nako na dili maayo na ang basura pinataka lang ug labay… dapat jud siya e-segregate ug maayo para hinlo ang dalan ug makatabang ta sa uban tao.”

For him, the lesson was simple but powerful: Care for the environment is also care for people.

A Continuing Legacy of Coastal Care

Xavier University has long promoted coastal and environmental preservation through the programs of the MAERS Center, which include:

• Community-based coastal management
• Mangrove regeneration training
• Field research and scientific monitoring
• Frequent coastal clean-ups around Macajalar Bay
• Tree-growing campaigns
• Festival Days outreach activities such as Mapadayunong Pagdayong

The XU Marine Station in Jasaan, opened in 2014, has served as a base for these efforts—linking research, service, and community partnership.

The 2025 coastal clean-up continues this tradition, showing XU’s dedication to forming “men and women for and with others” through concrete action, reflection, and care for our common home.

A Cleaner Tomorrow

At the end of the activity, organizers emphasized that this would not be a one-time effort. Building on the Festival Days spirit and the University’s sustainability vision, SIAP and MAERS plan to expand participation, strengthen community partnerships, and integrate more environmental education in future clean-ups.

For many volunteers—especially first-timers—the experience felt like more than just another school requirement. It felt like the start of a habit, a commitment, and a legacy that Xavier Ateneo continues to nurture:

Small actions, done together and consistently, can restore not just coastlines—but communities.

 

Photos by Meckhan Tagarda