Toni Ysbel DG. Yurag, @kaaksyon_toni BAJ 3A | PublicAksyon Posted on October 7, 2022
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and volunteers pick up non-biodegradable waste materials during the coastal cleanup. The cleanup drive is part of the PCG's efforts to celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day. 📷 George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA, Philippines - With gloves and trash bags, volunteers from different government agencies and private groups joined the coastal cleanup at Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach on September 17, in consonance with the International Coastal Cleanup Day.
Around 4,500 volunteers took part in the cleanup drive led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Climate Change Commission (CCC) under the theme “Fighting for Trash Free Seas-Pilipinas: Ending the Flow of Trash at the Source.”
In Metro Manila, DENR organized clean-up campaigns along the polluted Manila Bay, Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park, and other bodies of water in Navotas, Manila, Pasay, and Quezon City.
The International Coastal Cleanup Day is held annually every third Saturday of September of each year under the Presidential Proclamation No. 470, signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in 2003, to raise awareness of the growing garbage problems and pollution affecting coastlines around the world.
The cleanup drive also fell in line with the 23rd Maritime Week and the Maritime Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo), which aims to dedicate the month of September in harmonizing, integrating, and synchronizing programs and activities that raise national consciousness on maritime concerns.
COLLABORATION
“The International Coastal Cleanup Drive is vital as it promotes and unites countries and people with one common objective which is to take care of our environment by maintaining the cleanliness of our shorelines, rivers, lakes, and other waterways,” the PCG said.
According to the Director of DENR-Metropolitan Environmental Office (MEO) West OIC, Director Rodelina de Villa, the garbage that was collected was mostly made up of plastic wastes, dried water hyacinth, and marine debris.
De Villa said that the cleanup drive at Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach reflects the collaboration among all sectors that is necessary to eliminate coastal garbage through targeted cleanup operations.
1,500 of the 4,500 trash bags came from the DENR-National Capital Region, which includes DENR-MEO West, while 3,000 trash bags came from the DENR Central Office via the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO.)
The Manila City government, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine Army, (PA) Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine National Police (PNP), and PNP-Maritime Group were among the national and local government agencies, and private organizations, who contributed additional trash bags.
“However big and daunting the task is, we can make a difference by bringing communities and people together to clean up beaches. Proof of this are organizations and individuals coming together at the Baywalk Dolomite Beach,” de Villa added.
In commemoration of Globe Telecom’s annual 0917 Day, Globe partnered with DENR and ICC Philippines to further raise awareness about the growing marine debris problems.
“With the theme ‘Grateful for You’, we are making the ‘917’ celebration into a more meaningful and shareable experience by encouraging our customers to share with other people the happiness and goodwill they are going to receive from Globe,” said Globe President and CEO, Ernest Cu.
“While we do our best to meet the current and future needs of our customers, we must also do our share for the environment for the welfare of future generations. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of the only planet we live in,” said Globe’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, Yoly Crisanto.
Globe gave away 100-point rewards to all Globe customers who participated in the cleanup drive in selected areas of Metro Manila and Subic.
"This initiative will help make our coastal area in Manila Bay better so that our tourists and visitors will see the beauty of the bay," said Kendrick Lopez, a college student.
EXPLOITATION
Manila Bay has long-standing environmental problems including pollution and resource exploitation. However, DENR pushed through the dolomite project.
According to former DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, Manila Bay is the target of the project as they try to revive the American colonizers’ purpose to make Roxas Boulevard a tourist spot.
“Itong baywalk na ito, I will make this really a tourist center, makikita ng foreigners na nandyan ‘yong magandang beach natin sa Pilipinas... Ito lang kasi maipakita natin sa Manila ngayon na iyon ang showcase, like in the other countries. Sa atin, it will be the baywalk,” said Cimatu.
In August 2021, former President Rodrigo Duterte defended the dolomite project, claiming that the beach had become pleasing. However, some portions of Manila Bay are in danger due to garbage piles that have choked a habitat essential to marine life.
Environmental Group Oceana Philippines warned that the government could be destroying both the natural ecosystem and the source of synthetic sand of Manila Bay.
The Legal and Policy Director of Oceana Philippines, Lawyer Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio, said that according to experts, Manila Bay is not safe for reclamation and similar coastal development activities due to the existence of many natural hazards, such as land subsidence, flooding, and storm surges brought about by stronger typhoons.
“We are now seeing this in the recent flooding in Manila even if there was no typhoon. We cannot ignore the fact that reclaiming our coastlines in Manila Bay is like putting a plug on a bathtub full of water and closing the natural outflow of water towards the bay,” Osorio added.
CONTRIBUTION
Share of global plastic waste emitted to the ocean.
“The fact that a disproportionate amount of plastic pollution comes from Asia is consistent with previous research. Earlier studies estimated its share in 2010 was 86%.8 This should also not surprise us given the fact that Asia is the world’s most populous region (home to 60% of the world population),” said OWID Senior Researcher and Head of Research, Hannah Ritchie.
Probability of mismanaged plastic waste being emitted to the ocean.
The Philippines, particularly, is rich in marine resources, with 36,300 km of coastline in the archipelago of more than 7,600 islands.
“This is because the Philippines consists of many small islands where the majority of the population lives near the coast. But it’s an important update on our previous understanding of where China and India were thought to dominate. India accounts for 13%, and China for 7%,” Ritchie added.
According to another report from Our World in Data, the probability that mismanaged waste gets emitted to the oceans in the Philippines is 7.17%. Mismanaged waste is material that has a significant risk of reaching breaches by wind or tidal movement, and the total amount of material that is either littered or improperly disposed of.
Share of ocean plastics that come from the largest emitting rivers.
Seven of the top ten largest emitting rivers that share global ocean plastic pollution are in the Philippines. The Pasig River accounts for 6.4% of global river plastics, along with Tullahan River, Meycauayan River in Bulacan, Pampanga River, Libmanan River in Camarines Sur, Rio Grande de Mindanao River, and Agno River in Pangasinan.
As of 2019, the Philippines overall contributed the most amount of plastic pollution at a rate of 6.52% per capita and over 69,000 tons of plastics into the ocean every year.
According to the World Bank’s global study on marine plastics, “Market Study for the Philippines: Plastics Circularity Opportunities and Barriers”, at least 4.8 to 12.7 million tons of plastics are being thrown away by Filipinos every year.
SOLUTION
According to Jacob Duer of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, in Thailand, plastic waste has increased from 1,500 tons to 6,300 tons per day, caused by food deliveries at home.
The World Bank recommended actions to address the issue on the plastic waste management in the Philippines: raise sorting efficiency, set recycled content goals for all major end-uses, impose standards on plastics, increase mechanical and chemical recycling capabilities, establish industry-specific standards to collect used plastic, and restrict plastics disposal.
A lot of proposals have been made to address plastic pollution in the country. Several senators, including Senators Risa Hontiveros and Nancy Binay, have filed bills seeking to ban plastic straws and bags in restaurants and other establishments.
Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Act of 2001 defined the management of solid waste in the Philippines in accordance with the "3 Rs" principle- reduce, reuse, and recycle, but full implementation and enforcement of the law has never been achieved.
In February, the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) approved a draft resolution that includes plastic straws and coffee stirrers in the list of non-environmentally approved products (NEAP.)
“This is long overdue and we need to catch up with the demand of solid waste management in our country,” the DENR said.
“The prohibition on these two single-use plastic items may be small steps in the NEAP listing, but it is a big leap when it comes to compliance with the provisions of RA 9003,” said DENR Undersecretary, Benny Antipord.
“While the number of events and locations change each year, the culprits in this story remain the same, and unless these top corporate polluters invest in real solutions that move us away from dependence on single-use plastics, we will continue to see the same brands and companies wreaking havoc on the climate and our environment,” said Break Free from Plastic Global Coordinator, Von Hernandez.
“We can end plastic clean ups by doubling down on corporate accountability,” Break Free from Plastic global coordinator Von Hernandez said in a release, adding that its brand audit initiative to identify polluters continues.
Thus, environmental organizations urge public to reduce daily plastic consumption and invest in reuse and refill systems.
Keywords:
Manila Bay
Dolomite Beach
Cleanup Drive
Plastic Pollution
DENR
PCG
International Coastal Cleanup Day
Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach
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