Our ocean, our obligation, our opportunity

Our ocean, our obligation, our opportunity | Daily Tribune

Can this be the last week of September already?

We had been to so many events the past couple of weeks, the turns were like a Netflix series with a lot of plot twists and new characters every day. And just last week, thousands of Filipinos marched to protest corruption, demand accountability and transparency. Meanwhile, up north, super typhoon “Nando” battered Luzon bringing major flooding and landslides to vulnerable communities.

But to give you something to be positive about, National Maritime Week 2025 kicked off last week, starting with the global observance of International Coastal Clean-Up Day with a large-scale cleanup drive at SM By the Bay.

This was the world’s largest volunteer effort to clean up waterways and coastlines. Established in 1986 by the Ocean Conservancy, the campaign has grown into a worldwide movement that aims to raise awareness about marine debris, encourage proper waste management, and inspire community action for cleaner oceans. Of course, the Philippines is a part of it, through the collaboration of the Philippine Ports Authority (ppa), Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

Over a hundred PPA employees joined hands to pick up the waste along the shoreline, making sure it doesn’t go directly into Manila Bay. It was hard, unglamorous work, but in the long run, it would make a difference.

Since 2016, PPA has collected more than 228,000 kilos of debris through these cleanups. Meanwhile, across all ports in the country, more than 1.17-million kilos of solid waste from port operations have been properly managed under the leadership of PPA general manager Jay Santiago.

I know, I know what you might be thinking — cleanups? Just a one-day event will help solve the ocean pollution problem? Yes and no. Yes, because cleanups alone won’t save our oceans. And no, it does not stop there.

That’s why PPA has rolled out bans on unnecessary single-use plastics, tapped renewable energy, and partnered with WWF under the “No Plastics in Nature” initiative. Ports like North Harbor, Batangas and Cagayan de Oro are already showing what it looks like when environmental care becomes an operational habit.

Now, this is the exciting part. The PPA joined forces with Marina and the Philippine Coast Guard and signed a joint statement of commitment this week. The message? The ocean is a shared responsibility; it deserves more than fragmented policies — it needs unified action.

The declaration affirms the ocean as both a heritage and a shared responsibility, highlighting the need to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship. It also strengthens inter-agency cooperation to ensure maritime safety, promote sustainability, and drive innovation across the industry.

In fact, the activities are ongoing this week — from tree planting, port educational tours, fun runs to educational drives in ports nationwide. Whether you walk the mangroves of Bataan, watch ships dock in Manila, or surf off Siargao, we all benefit when the ocean is healthy.

In the same week that people protested corruption on land and weathered storms from the skies, we’re reminded: caring for our ocean is not optional. It’s personal. Let’s start there. After all, we are all in the same boat traversing this vast ocean.

Happy Maritime Week, folks!

Alone we can do little, together we can do so much. Let us save our oceans!