TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – DA-BFAR 2 Regional Director Angel B. Encarnacion and staff joined Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan in support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Office – led observance of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Drive along the bank of the PInacanauan de Tuguegarao, a major tributary of the Cagayan River on September 17, 2022.

The global restoration activity was adopted in the Philippines thru Presidential Decree no. 244 signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos declaring every third Saturday of September as International Coastal Cleanup Day. 

With this year’s focus on “Fighting for trash-free Pilipinas, Ending the flow of trash at the source”, the ICC promises to bring cleanliness and purify nature as a whole. The advocacy and restoration activity also aims to raise awareness of the global concern on pollution and its ill effects not only on the environment but on all living organisms in co-existence with humans.

In his message, Dr. Encarnacion said that the Bureau is also celebrating Fish Conservation Week and that his office led several restoration activities such as cleanup drives to rejuvenate both inland and coastal resources region-wide.

Meantime, Dr. Bambalan, expressed her gratitude to the Bureau for its support towards the protection and conservation of God-given resources.  She stressed that what we do in the upland will always affect the marine and aquatic organisms in the ocean and that taking good care of the environment is a shared responsibility of everyone. 

Representatives from the inter-agency cleanup activity were able to collect and sorted various litter and waste fragments composed of non-biodegradable, biodegradable, hazardous, special wastes, recyclable materials, and the like.  Distribution of information materials on proper waste management was also conducted by DENR personnel.

Said activity was participated by representatives from the city government of Tuguegarao, regional and law enforcement agencies, barangay officials, villagers, and other volunteers of the ICC site.