Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority employees join the 2021 coastal cleanup by scouring the shoreline in the Subic Bay Freeport to gather trash and storm debris. (Photo courtesy of SBMA)
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT––The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will celebrate Earth Day this year for the first time since the pandemic struck in 2020, an official said Tuesday, April 19.
In a statement, SBMA Chair and Administrator Rolen Paulino said they have lined up several activities on April 22 to join the global event, noting that the agency continues to promote environmental protection.
Paulino said they would impose minimum public health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while joining the Earth Day celebration.
“This year, with the lowering of the alert level in the area, the SBMA will be taking part in the Earth Day Celebration with strict compliance with the minimum health and safety standards to prevent the spread of the virus. Earth Day activities will be done in several small groups, and not as one big group,” Paulino said.
He said this year’s theme, “Invest in Our Planet,” fits the mandates of the SBMA of investing in the environment to attract more business activities in the economic zone.
“One of the many thrusts of my office is the beautification of the area, providing lush greeneries and colorful blossoms around the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The SBMA has already started planting bougainvillea on many center islands and pathways of the Freeport,” Paulino said.
The SBMA has scheduled a cleanup activity within the vicinity of SBMA office buildings, including the administration building 229, Building N, Naval Supply Depot, and other agency infrastructure.
Paulino said each department or office would also hold lectures for their personnel regarding waste management or environmental protection relating to their Environmental Management System.
The Earth Day Celebration was adopted in the Philippines in 1990 by President Corazon C. Aquino through Presidential Decree 553 s. 1990 and was supplemented by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through PD 1481 s.2008, declaring every 22nd of April as the “Philippine Earth Day.”