Divers clean up waters off Hundred Islands

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan— Divers scoured the seabed for garbage on Friday in the waters off Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos City to kick off a two-day underwater and coastal cleanup in Pangasinan province.

The 35 divers, 25 of them volunteers from Metro Pacific Investment Foundation (MPIF), also separated the giant clams off Quezon Island to grant them room to breathe.

The Hundred Islands National Park in the Lingayen Gulf is one of five destinations selected for this year’s Shore It Up project, an environmental initiative.

The MPIF and the Pangasinan government also led a mangrove planting event in Bolinao town and Alaminos City, where the MPIF mangrove center at Barangay (village) Bued was unveiled.

On Saturday, residents and volunteers from 112 coastal villages in 14 towns and cities along the Lingayen Gulf held their coastal cleanup activity.

Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino said MPIF volunteers would also involve 200 Grades 3 to 5 pupils from Aplaya Elementary School here in the environmental awareness campaign through a junior environment scouts workshop.

The MPIF returned to the four destinations it has been helping in the last four years, namely Anilao in Batangas, Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro, Hundred Islands in Pangasinan and Subic in Zambales.

For this year, MPIF added Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, where it will spearhead the first Siargao Mangrove Marathon. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon