Photo via Gerry Reyes/Coastal Cleanup Philippines
The good news: Coastal cleanup volunteers for International Coastal Cleanup Day at Manila Bay double every year, according to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. The bad news: The volume of trash hauled off the polluted body of water also doubles. Paje says he is looking forward to tomorrow’s Manila Bay ICC Day cleanup, and hope that they gather less trash, which will mean that the rehabilitation effort is gaining ground. But if three years’ worth of data is an indication, the number of volunteers has been directly proportional to the volume of trash collected. Data from the Washington-based Ocean Conservancy showed that trash gathered by volunteers doubled every year in the last three years. Volunteers from the environment agency, along with the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, will be holding the cleanup at Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard and the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. MM
[Inquirer]
