The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) kicked off its celebration of the 77th Year of the UP Presence in Iloilo by participating in the 2024 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day at Villa Beach, Villa district, Iloilo City, on Sept. 21, 2024.
Over 1,000 volunteers from various academic institutions and civic organizations in Iloilo gathered for the activity organized by 8 Villa Beach House, in partnership with MORE Power, Rotaract Club of South Iloilo, UPV, and the Office of Iloilo City Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna.
According to the organizers, almost 7,000 kilograms of non-biodegradable plastic waste was collected from the coastal barangays of Calaparan, Sto. Niño Norte, and Sto. Niño Sur.
Mr. Ian Varona, Lead Coordinator of the International Coastal Cleanup Philippines, said coastal cleanup activities are held regularly in the area and the ICC Day is one of the major events held to raise awareness on the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of Villa Beach on a wider scale.
He said that participants would collect plastic packaging, plastic bottles, cigarette butts, and used diapers, among others, based on their tallies after these cleanup activities. He added that this information is provided to the Iloilo City Government so that the local government unit can address related concerns based on the data they produce.
Chancellor Clement Camposano, in his message to student-volunteers from UPV – including those from the UP High School in Iloilo, said the activity is a “perfect way of imbibing that sense of community,” based on the training conducted by the UPV Ugnayan ng Pahinungód/Oblation Corps and UPHSI’s Civic Consciousness Development Program.
Along with student-volunteers gathered by the UPV Pahinungód, faculty, staff, and alumni participated in the coastal cleanup.
The coastal cleanup gave a glimpse of the slated events for the celebration of the 77th Year of the UP Presence in Iloilo which is set to culminate in December.
