The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Saturday joined International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day activities in Manila Bay as part of its commitment to save the environment.
MMDA general manager Procopio Lipana led the volunteers and staff of various government agencies in cleaning and collecting garbage in the area.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Pasay City government also supported the cleanup.
The ICC, which is held every third Saturday in September, is the largest volunteer effort for coastal resources.
People around the world gather on beaches, coasts, rivers, waterways and underwater dive sites to remove trash and record information on the debris collected.
Results will aid in better waste management policies/plans, product packaging designs and in stirring environmental consciousness among the people.
“We called on everyone to take part in this activity that will bring together national agencies, local government units, environmentalists and volunteers to collect trash littering the coastline,” said Lipana.
Volunteers brought cleaning materials, gloves and sacks in removing trash in the foreshore areas of Manila. Most of the collected garbage at the bay are bamboo poles and driftwood which had been carried by currents from nearby fish pens, water hyacinths, plastics, household waste, and other sorts of garbage.
The MMDA tapped members of the agency’s Road Emergency Group to administer medical assistance in case anyone gets injured.
Presidential Proclamation No. 470 declares the third Sunday of September of each year as the International Coastal Clean-Up (ICC) Day in observance of the Global Coastal Clean-up celebrations.