SOCCSKSARGEN — More than 1,800 volunteers from government agencies, local government units, schools, coastal barangays, civic organizations, and the private sector rolled up their sleeves on September 19–20 to participate in this year’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).
The simultaneous activities, spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 12, covered an estimated 12.975 kilometers of shorelines and waterways across the region. By the end of the two-day drive, volunteers had collected 2,708.83 kilograms of marine debris, much of it composed of single-use plastics such as food wrappers, beverage bottles, cigarette butts, discarded fishing gear, and grocery bags.
Carrying the theme “Clean Seas Against the Climate Crisis,” this year’s cleanup highlighted the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution not only as an environmental issue but also as a climate concern. DENR-12 underscored how plastics contribute to greenhouse gas emissions throughout their lifecycle, from production to degradation, while simultaneously harming fisheries and marine ecosystems.
“Healthy oceans are vital to a stable climate,” DENR-12 officials stressed, noting that marine litter undermines biodiversity and threatens the livelihood of coastal communities.
The ICC has grown into a yearly tradition in SOCCSKSARGEN, serving as both a cleanup operation and an educational campaign. The initiative demonstrates how collective action—linking national agencies, local governments, civil society, and private groups—can drive awareness and solutions to pressing environmental problems.
Organizers said the volume of waste collected this year is a sobering reminder of the persistence of plastic pollution. However, they also view the massive turnout of volunteers as proof that communities are ready to take responsibility for protecting the seas.
As the region braces for the impacts of climate change, DENR-12 hopes that efforts like the ICC will inspire stronger policies, wider partnerships, and a cultural shift away from throwaway plastics—because protecting the seas, they said, is inseparable from protecting the future.