Identifying the source of a problem is vital when it comes to identifying solutions and coming up with the right approach and concrete actions.
And one of the problems our country has is the increasing tons of ocean waste or trash, despite the existence of waste management laws (RA 9003, RA 9275) since 2001. Waste is a universal issue and it is contributory to all types of problems: health problem, environmental, economic, and social.
According to the Ocean Conservancy report, from the year 2012 to 2017, the Philippines was among the top participating countries in their International Coastal Clean-up (ICC). Also on record, the Philippines had the largest volunteer effort in the year 2015 ICC. Despite strong environmental activism in the country, we still suffer from this trash problem, especially ocean wastes.
On September 21, 2019, in celebration of the 2019 International Coastal Clean-up (ICC), spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources IV-A through the Manila Bay Site Coordinating/Management Office 4, the Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office No. IV-A (DPWH-ROIV-A) joined the simultaneous clean-up activity throughout CALABARZON. A great number of volunteer employees from the sixteen (16) District Engineering Offices headed to their local waterways/port areas, or coastlines, rolled up their sleeves and collected trash for a day. With the theme, “Battle for Litter-Free Seas”, the activity has been conducted to address the plastic ocean pollution, determine the source of waste, encourage participation and raise awareness to this global concern.
According to DPWH-ROIV-A Regional Director Samson L. Hebra, “There’s no instant solution to stop plastic pollution. We need people’s participation and sustainable solutions. But we are not going to recycle our way out of the problem. We are not going to reduce our way out of the problem.”