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‘Dagat Mo, Dagat Ko’ Dive for Boracay Yields Sacks of Trash
The “Dagat Mo, Dagat Ko” – Dive for Boracay activity held in the island-resort on May 5 and led by Mermaid Missions in partnership with various cooperating partners, yielded sacks of trash taken from the underwater vicinity of the long beach.
Project Managers Therese Garcia and Alex Sy of the Mermaid Missions, who came all the way from Manila for the clean up, were joined by divers and volunteers, mostly connected with dive shops in the island in retrieving garbage found in the waters at the beachfront area of Boracay particularly at Station 3.
Trash gathered after the dives of volunteers and some locals included glass bottles of beer and softdrinks, plastic bottles, cans, cellphone cases, hats, eyeglasses, clothing, and many more.
Two of the divers were also able to take out from the coral areas two crowns of thorns, a type of starfish feeding on and eventually killing corals in the process.
According to Jun Reselistino, one of the divers, there is an ongoing crown of thorns infestation not only in Boracay but in other islands as well.
He said to fully kill the crown of thorns, these had to be taken out of the water and buried in the soil.
Garcia and Sy of the Mermaid Missions are two young women who are fond of snorkeling and scuba diving and have gone to various dive sites in the country for this hobby. Along the way, they had made it a habit to pick up garbage they found at beach waters as they dive.
“We do this in our advocacy to spread awareness on taking care of our environment, and to show our love for the ocean,” Garcia said, as she explained why they had come all the way from Manila for the clean up.
The mission, with the help of partners, aims to clean up trash left behind by tourists and locals underwater.
The activity was also in support of the local government of Malay, Aklan in its cleanup of Boracay Island, and to educate people on the importance of cleaning the environment.
According to the Mermaid Missions, plastic pollution has increased drastically because almost everything is being packaged in plastic.This causes floods in cities, pollutes oceans, and even enters the food chain.
“We start with Boracay, as the President’s order to clean up the island gave us a way to kick-start our missions. Boracay Island serves only as the first reef clean up we will embark on”, according to the Mermaid Missions, personified by Garcia and Sy.
The Mermaid Mission’s partners in the reef clean up in Boracay included One Ocean global, 87.5 FM1, Boracay Business Administration of Scuba Shops, the Philippine Coast Guards, Boracay locals and volunteers, and even foreigners who are now permanently staying in the island. (VGV/PIA-Aklan)
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