TBK tells- cleaning up the Philippines

 

Residents of Brgy. Bagong Silang collect sacks of wet trash and coastal debris for disposal. (Photo by @Dietroi Rubio Dimanalata)

As an ardent Environmentalist I was delighted to read a series of articles in Palawan news like the one below for a campaign called Save the Puerto Princesa Bays:

Save the Puerto Princesa Bays sees massive turnout for second city coastal cleanup

"The city government successfully hosted a well-attended repeat of its “Save the Puerto Princesa Bays” program on Saturday, gathering a large contingent of local volunteers for an extensive coastal clean-up in Barangay Bagong Silang, a densely populated coastal area downtown."

“The save the bay event, a project aimed at preserving and cleaning coastal waters, attracted volunteers from a diverse range of groups. This included government offices, armed forces personnel, police, civic organizations, local residents, academia, and youth organizations."

"A highlight of the activity was the use of mud balls, specially crafted spheres containing beneficial microorganisms. When thrown into the water, these mud balls help combat pollution by breaking down harmful substances. Participants released 2,300 mudballs into the waters of Brgy. Bagong to combat pollution in the bay."

"Mayor Lucilo Bayron stressed the city government’s aim to increase residents’ awareness about climate change and underscored the importance of restoring love for nature, noting the benefits that can be gained when oceans are clean."

“Ito ay daan para maibalik ang pagmamahal natin sa kalikasan gayundin ang magiging pakinabang natin dito kapag nalinis natin ang ating karagatan,” Bayron said.

Festivities began early in the morning with a Zumba event, followed by the Eco-kolek information campaign detailing the group’s mission on proper household waste segregation, and a brief program during which participants signed a commitment wall."

The inaugural save the bays program took place in Brgy. Mandaragat on July 29. The next episode is scheduled for Brgy. San Pedro on August 26. Then Bgy Bagon Sikat on 9.9.23 at 4.30 am!

Source: https://palawan-news.com/save-the-puerto-princesa-bays-sees-massive-turnout-for-second-city-coastal-cleanup/ (Accessed  11.9.23)

I also read that the people in the areas where they did the first and second Save the Puerto Princessa Bays events were already seeing the benefits and taking greater care with their trash:

Coastal leaders see gains from ‘Save the Puerto Princesa Bays’ campaign

Personnel of the Tactical Operations Wing West (TOWWest) carry sacks of trash and other marine debris on August 26 during the third save the bays cleanup project in Barangay Pagkakaisa, Puerto Princesa City.(Photo from TOWWest)

"The Mandaragat and Bagong Silang barangays both noted cleaner coastlines and a rising trend of residents taking charge of cleaning their own areas due to the campaign’s efforts.

Gerry Abad, the barangay captain of Mandaragat, reported that they have been conducting coastal cleanups every Saturday since the launch of episode one in their bay.

Abad estimated that they have collected a total of 30 tons of trash from their area since then.

He also mentioned that locals managed to clear away several months’ accumulation of trash within a few days, ever since they introduced a local program. This program offers residents school supplies in exchange for collecting bags of trash.

Reynaldo Taneo, the barangay captain of Bagong Silang, said they have been consistently organizing coastal cleanups in his area since the second staging of the city bay conservation project.

He observed that the coastline is presently undergoing a gradual cleaning process, yet further efforts are required to restore it.

“Sa ngayon kung mapasyal kayo sa Brgy. Bagong Silang, makikita na natin yung buhangin. Hindi nga lang kagaya nong una kong dating nung 1980s, na maputi yung buhangin. Pero alam natin pag natuloy-tuloy tayo sa napakahalaga at makabuluang programang kalikasan, ay makatulong at malilinis talaga ang aming dagat,” said Taneo."

Source: https://palawan-news.com/coastal-leaders-see-gains-from-save-the-puerto-princesa-bays-campaign/ (accesed 11.9.23)

I was delighted to see that Palawan had taken the initiative to clean up its coastline. Lovers of the Philippines will know that a few years back the then Philippine President Rodriguo Duderte, closed the then most popular destination in the Philippines , Boracay, for 6 months rehabilitation. The Philippine Environment agency ( DNER) moved in and using detection equipment fond numerous hotels and residents pumping sewage directly into the sea. The pipes under the sand were removed, proper sewage treatment was installed and the island was reopened with very strict regulation and the number of tourists limited to what the infrastructure could cope with. 

Here in Palawan many areas are being much stricter as to what you can and cannot do to keep their beaches clean. For example I saw this on Facebook the other day from San Vicente where they have a 14 km white sand beach.

                I second their request for people to be responsible travellers!

Having worked for Environmental Services companies ( Veolia and SITA) in the UK for 10 years and then run Environmental inductions for contractors weekly in Bahrain I have spent 20 years encouraging people to dispose of their rubbish ( or Trash as the Americans and therefore Philippinos call it) responsibly. 

Back in 2018 I published a Blog after visiting El Nido , here in Palawan , on vacation and finding the place in a mess. The Blog was read by 5,000 people in a week and was covered in the Plawan News when the then Mayor of El Nido said I did not know what I was talking about! If you missed that then you can read about it in this blog:

https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2019/09/blogger-in-news.html

They introduced new regulations back in 2018 ( see the banner above) but they were poorly implemented and the tour guides, allegedly, told the tourists to hide their water bottles! 

The then El Nido Mayor wrote in Palawan news:

"El Nido Mayor Nieves Rosento defended her town Friday against a Bahrain-based travel blogger who said it is a “mess” and a paradise no more.

Rosento told Palawan News that what the blogger described as a “mess” in his January 1 blog, including the empty alcohol bottles and cigarettes, were within premises of a business establishment and not on the beach.

She also said the municipal government is doing everything to ensure that all environmental policies and laws are implemented accordingly."

The President told her that if they did not clean up El Nido then he would close it down as he did Boracay. 

As I sit writing my blog looking out on a road that leads down to the sea I daily see people throwing plastic wrappers from ice lollies and sweets into the open drain that runs down to the sea and I have to pay someone to clean the drain and the parking area in front of my house weekly from Trash. My neighbours get more trash as they are next to a Government office and the people sit on their steps waiting for their turn to see the officials and leave plastic bottles, cigarette ends etc outside. All the M & M properties now have large dustbins which we put out for the weekly collection of waste but in spite of signs in Tagalog asking them not to leave their rubbish there other people in the street keep putting their rubbish on top of our bins in Plastic bags which the stray dogs then attack each night scavenging for food and the next day we have to clean up all the waste and dog pooh!

Back in 2015 in Bahrain I tried to educate people about recycling after a friend threw an empty coke can out of my car window!

We introduced them to the Three R's. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The people who generate the waste have a part to play - imagine how many Jolibee and McDonald containers are thrown out every day, or Coca Cola bottles and all the straws from Milkshakes etc. Eventually McDonalds started to do away with straws and Starbucks and others introduced reusable beakers . I see the kids here carrying water tumblers to school which they refill. Some retailers here like Robinsons and SM sell reusable bags and they changed from plastic bags to paper bags. Even the people I buy my pet food from tell me to bring my own bag now. 

At home in Bahrain I would find things people had thrown out and reuse them like damaged watering cans and cable drums.

Here in Palawan I use damaged China cups, mugs etc for my pens on my desk, when I finish an ice cream tub I use it to store food in the fridge and so on 

We need to teach the kids from an early age here in the Philippines to remember the three R's but that means as adults we have to lead by example . 

Just as the Government , City Mayor and others here in Puerto have initiated Save the Puerto Princesa Bays, and prior to that cleaning up Boracay and Manila Bay they need to provide resources and education to prevent the trash getting in the bays in the first place!

That means sufficient bins, rules banning the use of plastic containers and bags and encouraging people to use reusable water bottles and the like. 

When I arrived in Palwan I bought my recycling bins from Bahrain- one for glass, one for Plastic , one for paper and one for cans. Once they got full I asked everyone where I should take my recycling ( we had recycling bins all over our town in Bahrain - after a long fight!) 

          The recycling for Charity bins we had installed in Awali , Bahrain

I was met by blank stares here in Puerto and when I asked at an Environmental event in Robinsons mall I was told there were no recycling facilities in Palawan.

So sadly I guess if those in power will not provide receptacles for the waste, and if there are no facilities for recycling (n eg MRF- Materials Recycling facilities or EFW Energy from waste plants where they burn the wate and produce Electricity) then people will keep throwing their trash in the sea and they will keep having to do clean up campaigns.

By comparison in the United Kingdom the Government set targets for recycling and keep increasing the Landfill tax to discourage people from throwing waste away. They educate the kids in school about the Three R's and houses are given recycling bins which are emptied weekly. 

Come on Pinoys- you can do a lot better- Stop cleaning up the bays, dont let them get dirty in the first place.  

I get sad because Palawan has been regularly voted one of the most beautiful islands in the world. After a 2 year closure to Foreigners due to COV 19 and then the devastating effect of Typhoon Odette it is just beginning to recover. Tourists love Palawan for its long clean white sand beaches, and we need to keep them like that !