A total of 41.94 kilos of garbage was collected by the divers, mostly composed of construction materials, glass bottles, fish traps, diapers, discarded ropes, shoes, and plastic bottles during a cleanup of dive sites in Cebu, a top diving destination in the country.
The dive cleanup was part of the 35th International Cleanup and conducted by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 7, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7), Lapu-Lapu City local government unit (LGU) and Crimson Resort on September 18.
Different dive stakeholders in Lapu-Lapu City led by Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD) Commissioner Bo Mancao, as well as divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and DENR, participated in the activity.
“Lapu-Lapu City is located on an island that is mostly dependent on natural resources from the seas. Taking good care of the environment is of utmost importance,” according to Lapu-Lapu City councilor Ricardo “Rico” Amores. “Preserving our environment is our legacy to our children and to the next generation,” said Amores, who represented Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan.
DOT-7 Director Shahlimar Hofer Tamano stressed the importance of ensuring the cleanliness of coastal waters and dive sites, and the protection of the marine ecosystem.
“Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor or the Central Visayas region is a marine park. To name a few, we have Apo Island, Cabilao, Balicasag, Malapascua, Moalboal and Mactan as having the biggest operations and dive spots in the region,” said Tamano.
DENR-7 Assistant Regional Director Engr. Trinidad Etulle emphasized the shared responsibility of reversing environmental degradation.
“The Philippines is among the top countries with the most volunteers in terms of the yearly International Coastal Cleanup Celebration. Essentially, we need to advance stronger working relationships and improve coordination mechanisms with the local government and other stakeholders in performing a raising and reversing environmental degradation in our bodies of water. This journey of seeing our seas and ocean clean again is a challenge, but I’m optimistic the officers present, the DOT, local government units (LGUs) and other agencies are optimistic and all of us that we can do it collectively with shared responsibility,” said Etulle.
Cebu, together with Bohol and Apo Island (Negros Oriental), has been identified as one of the country’s top diving destinations.
Earlier this month, the Philippines was awarded the Best Overseas Diving Area in the annual Marine Diving Awards in Tokyo, Japan.
Other than the dive cleanup, the DOT also conducted another edition of its OPLAN ISLAS, a mobile accreditation program partnership between DOT-7, PCG and MARINA that provides a one-stop shop venue for water tourist transport operators, boatmen, and dive operators to process their documents for registration and accreditation.
