Int’l coastal cleanup drive focuses on Guimaras

The International Coastal Clean-up Week is celebrated every third week of September all throughout the world and is being celebrated by the country with a rueful note due to the oil spill accident off Guimaras Strait.

The local celebration will support localized efforts in the clean-up of many coastal areas throughout the country, according to Antonio M. Claparols of the Ecological Society of the Philippines.

The theme of this year's celebration – "Ang Malinis na Katubigan: Ating Pamana" – is very relevant to the clean-up of Guimaras since it is very necessary at the moment for the future generations of Guimaras’ people and its marine resources, Claparols said.

The clean-up is participated in by delegates coming from the local government, non-government organizations, DENR regional and local employees, media and other private groups and the local environmental groups working to save and conserve the environment. Many believe the joint efforts injected by many local firms especially those that espouse environmental renewal and corporate responsibility would add color and feeling of empowerment to communities and the private sector.

The ESP urged the DENR to see to it that the clean-up operations will observe the proper procedures like the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by all the cleaners to avoid health problems.