By: Zachary Aaron P. Cristobal
Volunteers collect solid plastic waste that accumulated at the Dolomite Beach, which originated from several rivers from Metro Manila and nearby provinces where lots of people improperly dispose their waste. Photo captured by Inquirer.net
MANILA - On September 17, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led a cleanup of the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach in tribute of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2022.
More than 4.000 volunteers participated in the cleanup drive that accumulated a minimum of 4,500 sacks of garbage.
Importance of Cleanup Drives powered by volunteers
People from all around the globe over engage in volunteerism for a great number of reasons. One of the most important reasons are environmental preservation and protection. Having more than 4,000 volunteers cleaning up the Dolomite Beach allowed the DENR, private organizations, and willing individuals to combine their efforts in maintaining the good condition of the said beach.
The majority of the garbage that was collected, according to Rodelina de Villa, Director of the DENR-Metropolitan Environmental Office (MEO) West OIC, was made up of plastic waste, dried hyacinth, and marine debris.
Without the staggering number of volunteers and manpower provided by their united cooperation, it would take more time and resources to be able to execute the task and get the same expected productive result.
Aside from helping the country by cleaning the environment, it is also said that volunteerism also has positive effects on volunteers themselves. One of this would be gaining confidence. It allows volunteers to feel that they are being part of a positive change towards society by contributing their help for the benefit of their co-citizens. It will also give them the opportunity to meet new people and belong to a community where they have similar interests and hobbies, particularly being a volunteer towards better surroundings.
Many national and international non-governmental organizations, other civil society organizations, as well as social and political movements, are built on the foundation of volunteerism. It exists in the public sector and is now more prominently seen in the private sector.
Two photos showed different scenarios that happened in the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach. The left shows people taking pictures with their friends and children walking on the beautiful artificial white sand. The photo on the right shows what the beach looks like after heavy rain where 10% of the dolomite got washed out. Photo captured by Philstar and GMA News respectively.
Backlash towards the Manila Dolomite Beach
The Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach is arguably one of the most controversial topics in the Philippines during this pandemic. Lots of netizens criticized the government's action on spending 389 million pesos during a time of crisis where a large amount of funds is much more needed to be spent on healthcare needs and improvement. Thousands of people were getting infected and dying of COVID-19, so people were angry why the government decided to spend such money on what they deem as non-essential
"I don't buy that argument. Kasi alam mo, sa gitna ng pandemya, kinakailangan din na pangalagaan ang mental health," - Harry Roque.
However, for Harry Roque, (presidential spokesperson for the previous administration) the Dolomite Beach would be of help to the citizens of Metro Manila who would love to have some relaxation despite the consecutive onslaught of
COVID-19.
"I think 'yung pagpapasyal sa mga lugar gaya ng Manila Bay na may white beach, hindi maqua-quantify ang epekto nyan pagdating da mental health ng ating mga kababayan," he added.
(I think going to places like Manila Bay that has a white beach, you cannot quantify its effect when it comes to the mental health of our people.)
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Roque claimed that money had already been set aside for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, countering the argument of the people who questioned the government's decision to allocate it on projects that are not too important.
Despite this, lots of people were still not convinced. Several comments from news platforms stated that the government should have spent the 389 million on improving public transport which suffers from extreme traffic especially in Metro Manila, which is harmful for the country's economy.
DENR unites the government and private organizations for the environment
"Volunteers from government, private organizations, and private individuals came to Baywalk's coastline with their own garbage bags as well," - Rodelina de Villa (DENR-MEO West OIC Director).
1,500 trash bags came from the DENR-National Capital Region, which comprises the DENR-MEO West, while 3,000 of the 4,5000 sacks were delivered by the DENR Central Office via the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO), according to the spokesperson.
The Manila City administration, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine National Police (PNP), PNP-Maritime Group, and Philippine Coast Guard were among the private and public institutions who contributed additional trash bags.
This cleanup drive proves that there could be cooperation between the government and other sectors as long as both elements are working for the benefit of the country.
It is safe to assume that the Philippines would be a well-developed country given that government corruption is not as prevalent as it is, currently.
This cleanup drive is a great example of this. If Filipinos are able to achieve complete cooperation when it comes to essential factors of a developing nation: (environment, economy, social issues) without prioritizing their own wants, perhaps the continuous downfall of the country is still reversible.
De Villa also emphasized that, whatever the size and difficulty of the task, by organizing groups of people and communities to clean up beaches, we can make a difference. Organizations and individuals collaborating at the Baywalk Dolomite beach are evidence of this.
This statement itself strengthens the idea that no matter how hard it is to solve a difficult issue, little by little with the collaborative effort of people and the government, anything can be solved eventually.
Establishing good relationships between the government and other sectors of the Philippines will only come when all parties are willing to set aside personal interests in order to achieve the betterment of the country.
Cleanup Drive Final Results
Records from the DENR-MEO-West, whose primary duty is to oversee the upkeep of the 500-meter beach walk, reveals that from July 12 to September 14, cleanup efforts resulted in the collection of 147,939 sacks of solid waste.
The amount of garbage collected by the volunteers ensures that the Dolomite Beach will get polluted again if maintenance cleaning is not performed regularly.
This is the reason why the government and the private sectors who collaborated in this cleanup drive should schedule regular maintenance of the Dolomite Beach in order to ensure that it remains clean for public use.
Without this, Harry Roque's vision to help the mental health of citizens would be useless because their health would be in danger from the pollution that is constantly coming back to their favorite hangout spot.
Tags: #DENR, #cleanupdrive, #DolomiteBeach, #Manila, #ManilaBaywalk, #ICC, #environment, #Maynilad
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