Pangil Beach Cleanup

It’s comforting to learn that a concerted effort by the local community and multi-group volunteers, together with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO)-Currimao, for a coastal cleanup, happened over the recent two weekends.

In reference to my previous blog post, I described the amount of trash as scandalous, on Facebook (thanks to Chad Tamayo for sharing the link), and Russell Thomas, one of the volunteers, commented, “The scandal here is that the average Filipino still thinks it’s okay to throw rubbish ‘away’ and not put it in a bin. It’s an education issue, often driven by socioeconomic factors,” to which I agree.

With strict enforcement of environment laws, accompanied by prioritization of education and information campaigns, it is less difficult to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment for a better quality of life.

Needless to say, protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility. And it should start from home.

Have a great week, friends!

Photos lifted from MENRO Currimao Facebook Page

Currimao’s Pangil Beach turned “plastic beach”

Such a heart-wrenching story from home, I stumbled upon on social media, photos of Currimao’s Pangil Rock Formation in Ilocos Norte, posted by Jayson Lumbo Navarro — a truth behind the unique coral rocks along the coast of Currimao, and mostly located along Pangil Beach.

The fishing town of Currimao, home to Ilocos’s best beach resorts, namely Sitio Remedios, Playa Tropical, and Pangil Beach Resort, is a popular tourist destination, with its nearly 3-kilometer unique coastline and ancient ruins an emerging tourist spot. Read more about Currimao’s Barangay Pangil, and “the defenses of Ilocos Norte”, by Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero, on Rappler (here).

It is both agitating and depressing when elected officials are not fulfilling their duties to their localities, especially when it comes to public health and safety. Do they even have time to go around and check for themselves what is happening around their communities?

The amount of garbage around Pangil is scary, thinking that younglings thrive around the corals. Calling the attention of current Currimao Mayor Gladys Cue.

Screengrabs from Jayson Lumbo Navarro on Facebook