Scubasurero drive in Tawi-Tawi province.
TAWI-TAWI (Mindanao Examiner / May 10, 2014) – The Mindanao State University in the southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi is celebrating the ‘Month of the Ocean’ and launched an underwater clean up campaign as part of its environmental program.
The month of May has been declared as the ‘Month of the Ocean’ in the Philippines through the Presidential Proclamation No. 57 by then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in 1999.
This Proclamation encourages all sectors of society to collaborate and observe May as the Month of the Ocean (MOO) through the conduct of activities that shall highlight the conservation, protection and sustainable management of Philippine coastal and ocean resources.
To celebrate Month of the Ocean in Tawi-Tawi, the Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography through its Coastal Resource Management Center headed by Dr. Filemon Romero launched an underwater clean up drive dubbed as “Scubasurero” in in collaboration various stakeholders and was participated by at least 145 people.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Pagtayakkup Karna Kalissinan Sin Dagat” (United Action for a Cleaner Sea). The event is aimed at increasing public awareness of the impacts of garbage to marine life and the need to properly dispose solid wastes from domestic and other sources; boost public’s full support and cooperation in the solid waste management and efforts to clean our marine ecosystem and to strengthen synergy with other government and non-government offices and organizations, academe, private sector, and civil society in combining efforts to protect and save coastal and marine life.
MSU-TCTO Chancellor Lorenzo Reyes called on everyone to save the seas and to stop throwing garbage in the sea.
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