A CAMPAIGN that aims to create awareness and preserve the natural wonders of Boracay Island, one of the most visited areas in the country, was launched to encourage tourists and residents to be more responsible in cleaning up and protecting the Boracay coastline.
The clean-up initiative, dubbed as Cause for a New Coast, will be conducted this Labor Day weekend (LaBoracay), May 1 to 4. There will be multiple venues along the white beach, but the highlight of the event is scheduled on May 4, when a clean-up activity at the beach will be conducted in the morning.
According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), LaBoracay is the busiest time of the year in the island. DOT estimates that there were about 50,000 tourists from April 28 to May 4 last year. On May 1 alone, 10,431 tourists arrived in the island to celebrate Labor Day.
In the whole year of 2014, the DOT records show that about 1.5 million tourists visited the island. This suggests that if every person can produce at least one kilo of trash, around 1,500 metric tons of garbage were accumulated last year. If not collected properly, this scenario can result in several environmental problems in the near future.
The DOT said that this year, it is anticipating around 80,000 tourists who will take part in non-stop beach partying events consisting of music concerts, sports events, bazaars, rave parties, and a lot more. Tons of garbage will be expected to be left after these events.
"This Cause for a New Coast campaign was initiated with the intent to help clean and restore the island paradise. Every year, thousands of visitors have left undetermined amount of garbage along the white beach, which gradually affect the natural surroundings, especially after LaBoracay," said Saki Mirabueno, head of marketing for Boracay Newcoast, Global-Estate Resorts Inc.
The clean-up drive will be attended by different volunteers from the local government of Malay, Aklan spearheaded by Glenn SacapaƱo, Boracay Island chief operating officer and solid waste manager, and other environmental groups in the island.
Partners include Sur Bar located in Station 1 and Epic Bar in Station 2. Volunteers will disseminate plastic bags to encourage partygoers to collect their trash in exchange for free drinks sponsored by the Emperador Distillers Inc., the leading brandy manufacturer and distributor in the Philippines.
"We will be distributing trash bags on May 1 and May 2 starting at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to partygoers and we will collect them on that same day at the partner bars in exchange for free drinks. We want them (partygoers) to participate in this one small act but significant solution to the littering problem during LaBoracay caused by parties and events," said Mirabueno.
The Cause for a New Coast campaign was initiated by Megaworld, the country's leader and pioneer in developing integrated urban townships, through its subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts Inc. (GERI).
Megaworld's GERI is the developer of Boracay Newcoast, which is a 150-hectare master-planned development project that is poised to become the next tourism hub in Boracay Island. The township also plans to institute various environmental initiatives to foster sustainable preservation of the island paradise. (PR)