THE Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort on Sept. 21, 2019 took part in a different battle along the historic coastline of Mactan where the local chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu led his men in defeating Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his band of Spaniards nearly 500 years ago.
The event was dubbed as the “Battle for Litter-Free Seas.” It was a simultaneous clean-up activity organized by the local government units of Cordova and Lapu-Lapu City, Coastal Clean-up Coalition and Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort.
Bluewater played host to the event’s underwater clean-up component, contributing to the continued protection and conservation of the waters in Mactan Island.
The event saw scuba divers haul more than 200 kilos of garbage and 400 plastic bottles.
True to its advocacy of ocean conservation and its support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Bluewater has traditionally hosted the event numerous times as well as other cleanup events the whole year round.
A team of 70 volunteers coming from various departments of the resort led by its vice president for finance and operations Rhyz O. Buac also conducted a beachside cleanup that started from the corner of Buyong and Arcadio Alegrado St. going towards the vicinity of the Boyla Dive Center.
The International Coastal Clean-up Drive (ICCD) began 30 years ago and this movement has been gaining momentum as communities, stakeholders and the government are taking up the issue of conservation after the effects of the continued degradation of oceans are becoming more evident.
The Lapu-Lapu City Government headed by Mayor Junard Chan and Councilor Rico Amores along with 153 divers joined this year’s underwater clean-up to support the ICCD.
The event was participated by 31 dive groups coming from the closely knit diving community of Cebu led by the Boyla Dive Center. The group was joined by volunteers from Sea Knights, Datu Lapu-Lapu Eagles Club, Mandaue City Police Office, Bureau of Fire and Protection, Regional Maritime Unit 7, Southside Divers, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Team Max, PSI Leports, Auseu, Trek and Dive.
Other participants were from Crimson Resort and Spa, Gypsea Dive, Gaia Divers, Pawikan Divers, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, Log Blue, One Piece, Poseidon, Naga Divers, Scuba Star, Marquida Diving Center, Ocean Player, Marine Dream, Sea Air Dive, White Seahorse, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority-Fire crash Department Divers and Bluewater Resorts’ underwater cleanup team called Project Blue.
Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort is a proud member of the Bluewater Resorts group, a Filipino-owned chain of resorts showcasing the best of Filipino culture with its Cebuano unique approach to hospitality called amuma with excellence.
The resort sprawls approximately seven hectares (including the Bluewater private island) that houses 190 well-appointed guest rooms, five restaurants, three swimming pools and a spa.
Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort has been receiving the prestigious Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Green Hotel Standard and Award since 2016.