It has become a common theme for photojournalists or netizens to snap and post photos of a popular tourist spot, before and after a huge event.
First image, a pristine shore that’s a piece of paradise. Swipe to the left, a display of destruction people are capable of through plastic litter—bottles, wraps, you name it.
On this note, the Department of Tourism-Central Visayas (DOT 7) together with the Cebu Municipalities of Badian and Alegria recently launched the Care for Cebu’s Canyons initiative.
The plan is simple: Offer reusable water bottles to daily visitors of their popular canyoneering circuits in the hopes of keeping the sites free of plastic litter
Plastic is a problem in the Philippines. In a March 21, 2021 article published by the World Bank, it reported that the country “grapples with unsustainable plastic production/consumption and insufficient solid waste management infrastructure.”
“A staggering 2.7 million tons of plastic waste are generated in the Philippines each year, and an estimated 20 percent ends up in the ocean,” stated the article.
To jumpstart the initiative, “Care for Cebu’s Canyons” turned over 1,500 reusable water bottles—made of sturdy plastic with rubber locking mechanisms, woven tags and heavy-duty carabiners—to the local governments and tourism stakeholders of Badian and Alegria. To complement this, water refilling stations were also installed in key areas.
“Our tourism sites have regenerated after those two years that we were forced to stay home. As we come back to enjoy them, we are adopting best practices that will somehow guarantee that we preserve these valuable sites,” said DOT 7 Regional Director Shahlimar Hofer Tamano during the official turn-over event.
With the support of municipal and component city governments and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region VII, the Sustainable Tourism Program of DOT 7 aims to inspire people how to contribute to the betterment of the environment—even by doing something as simple as bringing with them reusable water bottles.