West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) sent 135 employee-volunteers to lend their assistance during the 32nd International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) held simultaneously at different sites along Manila Bay—from Navotas all the way to Bacoor, Cavite.
The Maynilad contingent was led by its President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez (standing, 4th from left), shown here with Senate Committee Chairperson on Environment and Natural Resources, Senator Cynthia Villar (fifth from left) before the conduct of the cleanup along the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) in Las Piñas City.
Since 2010, Maynilad has been supporting this project by sending employee-volunteers and setting up drink-and-wash stations for all participants of the cleanup. “We are happy to lend a hand in this initiative, which not only supports our environmental advocacy but also instills a spirit of volunteerism among our employees,” Fernandez said.
Spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the ICC 2018 aims to urge citizens to take action for the preservation and protection of marine resources.
The ICC is the world’s largest volunteer effort to clean the ocean. In 2003, Presidential Proclamation No. 470 was issued declaring the third Saturday of September of every year as ICC Day in the Philippines. Every year, volunteers clear tons of trash from coastlines, rivers, and lakes and record the trash they collect.