Philippines to celebrate the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup on September 16
The Philippines will join the annual global celebration of International Coastal Cleanup Day on September 16, 2017, Saturday with the theme, “Together for our Ocean”. Now on its 32nd year, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), in partnership with volunteer organizations and individuals around the world will mobilize people to remove trash from beaches, coasts and waterways. Aside from picking up trash, volunteers will be tasked to record information fundamental to governments, manufacturing industries and businesses in developing smart solutions to the marine debris problem.
The Philippines cancelled its coastal cleanup day activities last September 17, 2016 nationwide due to the declaration by the national government on state of lawlessness. Ocean Conservancy agreed on the cancellation of the ICC Day for the safety of the volunteers. This year, we are preparing for this important “largest single day cleanup in the globe”. Around 300,000 volunteers from 48 provinces and 1,000 cleanup sites are expected to join the Cleanup.
ICC is the largest volunteer effort for the ocean and waterways initiated in 1986 by Ocean Conservancy, a non government organization based in Washington, D.C., USA. ICC Day in the Philippines is institutionalized by Presidential Proclamation No. 470 issued in 2003. ICC Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) are ICC National Coordinators who organize and coordinate ICC activities in cooperation with the institutional partners, DILG, DepEd, DENR, DOTr, DPWH and DOT.
As ICC tackles one of the biggest threats facing our oceans – trash, the Cleanup also heightens environmental awareness and volunteerism that will change the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place.