Beach clean up activities this week in Subic Bay!

The pandemic has taken an unfathomable toll on people around the world. In its second year, the Philippines reached its highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began with 26,303 new cases recorded only today, September 11. This brings the overall coronavirus cases in the Philippines to 2,206,021. Of this number, 185,706 are active cases. [Rappler.com Sept 11, 2021]

At the same time, the impact of the pandemic is not limited to human health alone. The pandemic has dramatically increased the use of certain types of plastic products, notably personal protective equipment or PPE but also single-use plastic bags, food and beverage containers, and other single-use plastics that can harm our communities and the ocean and result in significant waste management challenges.

As we know from many years of experience tracking the problem of plastic pollution, the increased use of single-use plastics translates into more plastics in our ocean. It is also this reason why Ocean Conservancy always starts with data because the most effective solutions are rooted in the best available information.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is showing its support to the protection of our ocean as the country and the rest of the world celebrate the International Coastal Cleanup Day which happens annually every 3rd Saturday of the Month. All their pre-registered participants will be using the Clean Swell Mobile App or the ICC Trash Data Forms.

In its second year of launching the Biay Dagat, an Ayta Ambala term that means “Blessings of the Sea”, aims to educate local stakeholders on sustainability through proper waste segregation. It also hopes to honor the indigenous people’s culture as the original protectors and eco-warriors of our land and waters. It is for this reason that the lined-up activities are in Ayta Ambala language.

As we conduct the cleanup activities this week here in Subic Bay, we encourage our partners and volunteers to please abide by the IATF guidelines on health and safety protocols by practicing social distancing and using PPEs. We are grateful to all the volunteers participating. Their incredible efforts will supply us with data that will show us information on the current state of the plastic pollution problem in our area.

Previous ICC Reports are available here.