There’s no denying it — the Philippines has a serious garbage disposal problem.
The issue was highlighted once again yesterday after actor Luis Manzano posted a video and several photos to his Instagram account showing plastic garbage floating in the waters of Anilao, Batangas, one of the Philippines’ best diving spots.
Manzano discovered the garbage during a diving expedition. In one shot, a diver, likely Manzano, can be seen trying to catch one of the “swimming” plastic scraps.
What Manzano discovered is heartbreaking, but unfortunately not surprising. In 2017, Greenpeace reported that the Philippines was the third-worst ocean polluter in the world. The environmental organization said this was due to Filipinos’ penchant for buying products in plastic sachets, which are cheaper compared to buying them in bulk.
In his post, Manzano wrote: “AFTER ONE DIVE, see the amount of plastic and trash we have in our waters, we are better than this everyone!!!! What is happening to our oceans, see the amount we picked up after just ONE DIVE [sad emojis].”
READ: VIRAL: Tourist finds floating trash in El Nido’s Secret Lagoon
Manzano, who wrote on his Instagram profile that he is a Professional Association of Diving Instructors dive master, added: “Please be more responsible with your trash, please 🙁 [A]ll the clean up dives in the world won’t do anything unless we dispose of (sic) [our] garbage the right way! WE HAVE A PROBLEM PEOPLE.”
As of writing, Manzano’s post has received close to 10,700 likes.
Plenty of fans were equally horrified by his discovery. Typical was this response from @septiembre_dieciseis, who wrote: “[OMG!] [M]y God… What are people’s reason now? Are they sick? Is this because of poverty? How can we promote our country’s [tourist destinations] if our environment is being abused like this.”
Netizen @salingcat had a nutty suggestion: “We should stop using single-use plastics…”
Manzano’s follower @inavelgas thought his posts were “heartbreaking,” writing: “I hope this post can set off the call for a sustainable lifestyle at a local level.”
What do you think of Manzano’s discovery? Share your thoughts on Twitter @CoconutsManila.
