PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — A pod of seven dolphins was witnessed playing in the waters of El Nido, Palawan, on Saturday during International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Their unexpected sighting at the El Nido Managed Resource Protected Area of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources left spectators and environmental enthusiasts surprised, raising hopes for the health and preservation of the marine habitat in the municipality.

The ENMRPA team, along with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office staff and volunteer divers, set out on a journey on 16 September to clean up the island sites of El Nido.

Little did they know that the day would be marked by an encounter with marine mammals. Despite the initial excitement, the precise identification of the dolphins remained under investigation.

Mildred Suza, the park operations superintendent of ENMRPA, expressed enthusiasm over the dolphin sighting, saying their presence in the protected area is an indicator of a healthy marine environment.

"The presence of these marine mammals is a sign that their habitat is healthy and intact. Hence, there's a need for further research to identify and determine the population of marine wildlife," she said.

Dolphins are considered an indicator species for the health of marine ecosystems. Their presence is associated with well-preserved habitats, making the sighting significant for conservationists and environmentalists who work to protect El Nido's natural beauty.

The environment department in Mimaropa said this occurrence is particularly timely, aligning with the ongoing global efforts led by ICC to safeguard marine ecosystems.

ICC, launched in 1986 by The Ocean Conservancy, serves as a platform to unite communities in the collection and documentation of coastal litter.

In the Philippines, Proclamation 470, issued in 2003, designates the third Saturday of September as ICC Day, reminding Filipinos to rid the oceans of waste and debris.