So where’s the reef?

The question did not seem to faze officials of several government agencies who led a coastal cleanup on Saturday along the reef-less stretch of Manila Bay.

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“Although we know that there are no longer any reefs here, we are doing this to create awareness of the importance of protecting our coral reefs,” said Jacqueline Caancan, a director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), as she took part in the activity marking Reef Awareness Month in May.

Some 200 participants from the DENR, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the Manila city government picked up sacksful of trash from the 500-meter stretch of the bay in Malate.

Employees of private companies also joined the cleanup drive, gathering trash that had washed ashore just beside the US Embassy complex.

“Marine litter has become a growing global concern, so we are addressing [it],” Caancan said in her speech.

The cleanup drive was also in compliance with a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that directed 13 government agencies to initiate a continuous program to rehabilitate Manila Bay.

Top plastic waste generators

Sen. Cynthia Villar also expressed concern over the findings of a recent study by the University of Georgia in the United States that listed the Philippines as the third biggest generator of plastic waste globally, behind China and Indonesia.

“China and Indonesia are wealthy countries and can easily solve their problem on plastic pollution,” Villar said. “If we do not do something about this, it will [just] be a matter of time [before] we become the top producer of plastic waste,” she added.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, last year’s main guest, was absent from the event. He drew criticism last year for allegedly using the cleanup as a publicity gimmick after a video footage showed an assistant dumping trash into the sea, which the mayor scooped up moments later as cameras clicked.

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