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KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO โ€“ Over a thousand participants from various line agencies, local government units, private sectors and other stakeholders joined on Saturday, September 17, the mass cleanup drive spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) along the coasts and other water bodies in Region 12 to mark International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2022.
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Government workers, volunteers, including various men in uniform personnel, have collected sachets, candy wrappers, disposable diapers, fishing nets, and other non-biodegradable waste materials in different cleanup sites across the SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos City).
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โ€œWith this kind of initiative, our collective efforts are necessary in order to save and protect our coastal areas and other water bodies which are very significant for our survival,โ€ said Atty. Felix S. Alicer, DENR-12 regional executive director (RED).
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Based on the report from DENR-12 Conservation and Development Division-Coastal Resources and Foreshore Management Section, the classification of waste materials collected on Saturday are quite similar to the previous ICCs.
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โ€œAlthough there are still some people who donโ€™t know how to properly manage their wastes despite the various communication, education, and public awareness (CEPA) campaigns on ecological solid waste management, we will still continue to intensify our information drives and enforcement efforts to reduce and eliminate the wastes that destroy our environment,โ€ RED Alicer said.
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Presidential Proclamation No. 470 series of 2003 declares the third Saturday of September of each year as the ICC Day. This yearโ€™s celebration carries the theme โ€œFighting for Trash-Free Seas, Pilipinas! Ending the flow of trash from the source.โ€
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#ICC2022 #TayoAngKalikasan