The Moalboal Freediving Association will lead a community-wide beach and coastal cleanup along Panagsama Beach on June 8, 2026, to celebrate World Ocean Day.
MFA co-founder Niccolo Stevens Henson stated that cleanup drives address pollution symptoms, but long-term solutions require stronger local government waste management, stricter ordinance enforcement, and better waste segregation.
To monitor marine pollution, the MFA uses the Clean Swell application to log collected waste data, noting that plastics and fishing lines are the most common items found by divers.
Healthy oceans mean healthy reefs.
For a group of local freediving enthusiasts in the town of Moalboal, Cebu, a cleanup drive is not just about collecting trash; they conduct these drives because the ocean never asked for the trash and it cannot clean itself.
This is what the Moalboal Freediving Association (MFA) wants to relay as it leads a community-wide beach and coastal cleanup along Panagsama Beach on Monday, June 8, 2026, to celebrate World Ocean Day 2026.
The activity starts at 6:30 a.m., with a cleanup drive along Panagsama Beach in Barangay Basdiot. Panagsama Beach is famous for its year-round sardine run, rich marine life and turtle watching.
Backed by freediving volunteers since 2025, what started as a small initiative among local divers has expanded into a community-wide coalition advocating for the protection of Moalboal’s marine ecosystem.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu on Sunday, June 7, MFA co-founder Niccolo Stevens Henson said that waste continuously enters local waters through human activities, tourism and ocean currents.
“For us in MFA, protecting the ocean is not just a slogan, it is our responsibility,” Henson said.
“We conduct cleanup drives because the ocean cannot clean itself. As freedivers, we see the situation underwater firsthand and we know that if we do nothing, the problem only gets worse,” he added.
Implementation and monitoring
Henson acknowledged that cleanup drives only address the symptoms of a larger pollution crisis, noting that “long-term solutions require addressing the source of the problem.”
He explained that for Moalboal, this includes stronger waste management systems, stricter enforcement of environmental ordinances, better waste segregation and increased collection points in tourism zones from the local government unit.
Henson added that conservation should be a year-round effort integrated into schools, businesses and government agencies.
To monitor marine pollution, the MFA uses the Clean Swell application to log collected waste data during organized activities.
Henson said that while some emergency cleanups by guides and divers go unrecorded, the data helps track the volume and types of waste to guide conservation efforts.
The MFA welcomes the idea of the local government unit and other organizations adopting the application.
Community effort
Henson observed that a significant volume of trash accumulates along the coastline rather than underwater, carried by wind, waves and currents.
He said that while general garbage collection in Moalboal has improved over the years, challenges persist in high-traffic beach areas where litter remains common.
The most common items found by divers are plastics and fishing lines, which cause entanglement, ingestion and reef damage.
Henson emphasized that keeping the waters clean is essential to protecting the entire ecosystem supporting Moalboal’s famous sardine run and tourism industry.
The MFA keeps the community engaged through regular cleanups, environmental education and partnerships with local businesses.
“Our message for World Ocean Day is simple: everyone has a role in protecting the ocean,” Henson said.
“Whether you are a tourist, business owner, government representative, or local resident, your everyday actions matter. If we all take responsibility for reducing waste and caring for our coastal environment, the collective impact can create lasting positive change for future generations.” / CDF