Barangay Mandaragat is set to host the 14th iteration of Save the Puerto Princesa Bays this Saturday, aiming to collect trash in another coastal clean up drive as the windy season blows in trash from nearby barangays.
The city government of Puerto Princesa held a coordination meeting with uniformed personnel and members of the LGU on March 17 to rehash the guidelines for the Save the Bays program and the 3.0 version of Scoop Basura, to be implemented on March 22.
This will mark the third time the coastal village of Mandaragat will host the Save the Bays event, having previously been the area for Episodes 9 and 10.
Lha Gallo, Mandaragat barangay captain, expressed gratitude for the city government for further improvements on her barangay’s water quality.
“Although weekly kami nagkoconduct ng coastal clean up, kailangan pa rin namin doon ng madaming volunteers,” Gallo said.
She reported that their weekly activities have garnered around six tons of waste, mostly coming from other barangays that were swept to their area by the waves due to the northeastern wind, also known as amihan, blowing through the coast.
According to Oplan Linis and Scoop Basura project coordinator Drew Manlawe, Episode 9 collected a total of 28.7 tons from Mandaragat, while Episode 10 collected around six tonnes.
Despite the ongoing nmmaintenance of trash collection in their area, Gallo marked a difference in water quality, particularly noting the tilapia swimming around the coast of Mandaragat.
“Sa totoo lang, may mga tilapia na na naandoon (…) sinabihan na namin na bahala na sila [kapag hulihin at kainin] iyon,” Gallo clarified, after being asked whether the residents also maintained their own coast’s cleanliness in the area.
Flotsam and jetsam
The 14th episode of Save the Bays comes after a long pause in the city government’s program implementation.
City Administrator Carlo Avogado noted that the program had served its purpose before Puerto Princesa put the bays to good use in 2024.
“We’re going to resume the fourteenth event onwards. We had to [pause it] last year due to several events (…) Medyo naantala din this year because of the MIMAROPA RAA Meet at yung Balayong Festival,” Avogado said.
While the Save the Bays program was meant as a continuous large-scale, long-term effort to improve the water quality around Puerto Princesa as part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal #14, it also served as one of the pillars which the city government used to prop up several international sporting events all mostly involving the water.
Before the International Dragon Boat Tournament, all thirteen episodes of Save the Bays collected a total of 571.44 tonnes of garbage collected in seven areas— namely Baywalk area, and barangays Mandaragat, San Pedro, Bagong Sikat, Bagong Silang, Pagkakaisa, and Masipag.
Manlawe stated that they will continue to go back to previous barangays when the need arises.
“Since Amihan ngayon, madami talagang nagdadock sa area na yan, lalo na sa Mandaragat banda,” Manlawe added.
The 3.0 version of Scoop Basura included new guidelines as well, counting only floating debris collected, excluding those collected on land in trash cans.
Groups of 20 in three categories (Uniformed Personnel, Barangay Teams, and Academia) can compete in the Scoop Basura event for most trash collected in three hours.
However, Manlawe stated that the group participants may have a delay in getting their cash prizes.
“Ang reason din po kung bakit ay dahil may election ban din. (…) Siniset ko ang expectations [ng participants] na di katulad noong dati na mabibigay agad yung prizes,” he said.
Those groups interested to join can sign up until March 21, in order for the organizers to quickly pass the paperwork necessary for the release.
The traffic route for the 14th episode of Save the Bays will span from the entrance in New Buncag Road, to the exits in Old Buncag Road.
