Dubbed as "ICC in a Bubble" and co-organized by the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and DENR-National Capital Regional (NCR), there will be two main cleanup activities for the participants in this year’s ICC.
WANTING to show its commitment to lead in environmental activities despite pandemic limitations, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will mark the worldwide observance of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) on September 18, with a cleanup bubble.
“Despite the restrictions and challenges brought about by the Covid-19 situation, the DENR remains committed to lead and take part in environmental activities aimed to educate more people to actively take steps on the proliferation of wastes in the coastal areas,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said.
"We are on a balancing act of making sure that our environmental activities such as the ICC are carried out while at the same time, observing proper guidelines set forth by the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases," the DENR chief added.
Instead of traditional gatherings, Cimatu said the department will also maximize the use of social media to sustain and enjoin awareness and call to action.
Dubbed as "ICC in a Bubble" and co-organized by the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and DENR-National Capital Regional (NCR), there will be two main cleanup activities for the participants in this year’s ICC.
The first group will be assigned to clean up the vicinities around Manila Bay, particularly at Las Piñas–Parañaque Wetland Park, Gloria Maris, Manila Bay’s dolomite area, and Navotas, among others.
DENR said with the declaration of General Community Quarantine Alert Level 4, cleanup participants for Group 1 will be limited only to DENR employees because of the restrictions.
The groups will be composed of teams with 10 persons each to properly observe social distancing protocols during the cleanup.
The second group of participants will be assigned to clean in their respective homes and/or immediate surroundings.
The observance of the 2021 International Coastal Cleanup Day is pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 470, Series of 2003.
It is also in line with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) with the message, "The Science We Need for the Ocean We Want."
In this year’s event, the DENR will adopt the UNESCO Ocean Decade Challenge 1 theme for 2021: "Understand and Beat Marine Pollution."
Adopting the first Ocean Decade Challenge will "provide the people, particularly the new generation, a broader understanding of the land and sea-based pollution and their potential impacts to human health and ocean ecosystems," Cimatu added.
Tags: #DepartmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResources, #ManilaBay, #cleanup, #InternationalCoastalCleanup