SAN PASCUAL, Batangas—The annual Coastal Cleanup hosted by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer oF Caltex fuels and lubricants, brought together 250 volunteers in this town.
By joining forces, employees, contractors and community partners were able to collect 232 sacks of trash from the shoreline near the Chevron Batangas terminal, a coastal stretch that also serves as a nesting ground for Olive-Ridley sea turtles.
The initiative, held in line with the International Coastal Cleanup, was made possible through the collaboration of multiple organizations, including SRDC, CJI General Services Inc., 5G Security Inc. (5GS) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Also joining the cleanup are Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA), Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and Barangay Danglayan.
Mae Belle Albay, head operator at Chevron, stressed the importance of collective action in ensuring the success of this year’s cleanup.
“This cleanup demonstrates what’s possible when everyone—local government, community members, our employees, and contractors—comes together with a shared purpose. Although this area is within Chevron’s operational control, it remains a shared space that we all rely on and have a responsibility to protect,” she said.
“Collaborative efforts like this show the power of collective action in preserving the environment as part of our environmental stewardship,” Albay added.
The largest group of volunteers came from the Manila Shared Services Center (MSSC) with 118 members collecting 84 sacks of waste, followed by 5GS with 30 volunteers gathering 28 sacks.
Chevron employees and contractors contributed 25 volunteers and 59 sacks. The PCGA sent 7 volunteers who collected 14 sacks.
Chevron has been organizing the San Pascual coastal cleanup since 2009, but Albay said sustainability goes beyond one-day efforts.
“It used to be just one big cleanup each year. But since 2015, we’ve shifted to more regular efforts to prevent waste from piling up. By organizing smaller, more frequent cleanups, we’ve found that we can make a bigger, more lasting impact on our environment,” she said.
For Chevron, environmental protection is integral to its operations, especially with its terminal located along Batangas’ shoreline.
“It’s always been the company’s social responsibility to share our part in cleaning the environment, especially with our operations dealing with the coastline and vessels from overseas,” said Raymund Año, Batangas Terminal manager.
He added that the company also implements sustainable practices within the workplace. “Even here in the terminal, we’re eliminating the use of bottled water; we just use glasses and dispensers. Small efforts will mean a lot in protecting the environment, especially now when plastics are still widely used but remain non-biodegradable.”
