A TOTAL of 228 volunteers led by Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF) and Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC) employees gathered to collect trash that winded up in the coastal village of Poblacion in Cordova town, Cebu on Sept. 6, 2019.
The activity was done ahead of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, which is observed every third Saturday of September.
MPIF president Melody del Rosario, CCLEC employees, as well as employees and officials of Asian Carriers Conference Inc., Cordova Municipal Government and other stakeholders joined forces in collecting over 1.5 metric tons of garbage.
Plastic bottles made up 30 percent of the total collected trash during the “Shore It Up” activity, 10 percent were biodegradable wastes while the remaining 60 percent were residual wastes.
“Why should we care for our oceans? Our oceans provide countless benefits to our planet and all the creatures that live here. Food, medicine, climate regulation and transportation are among the benefits we derive from the ocean and basically what we need for our existence,” del Rosario said.
She further said, “Let us keep in mind that we are gradually creating a cleaner, safer and a better future for ourselves and the next generations with every piece of trash that we collect and, in this effort, no matter how small, will have lasting benefits to our very existence. Let’s clean up and let’s ‘Shore It Up.’”
“Shore It Up” is the corporate social responsibility project of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp.(MPIC), which is under MPIF. It focuses on underwater and coastal cleanup as its core activity.
Del Rosario then acknowledged the support of the local government of Cordova and other stakeholders for volunteering and elevating environmental consciousness, adding that such partnerships are crucial in the sustainability of what “Shore It Up” started in its partner communities.
“We cannot do this alone. We need the help of more people, more nongovernment organizations and civil organizations who share a common purpose with our MPIC chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, ‘Shore It Up’ and MPIF,” she said.
Soon, Cordova will also be the home to the only Mangrove Propagation and Information Center in the Visayas.
CCLEC is building and will operate the 8.5-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, a toll bridge linking Cordova in Mactan Island to Cebu City through the South Road Properties. The company is building and will maintain and operate the toll bridge under a joint venture agreement with the local governments of Cordova and Cebu City. (S)