DOERs of Change: Dalumpinas Oeste Eco Rangers Lead Wildlife Drive in Ilocos Norte

In line with World Wildlife Day 2025 and its theme “Protecting Wildlife for Future Generations,” the Dalumpinas Oeste Eco Rangers (DOERs) Inc., an environmental group based in La Union, launched a three-part coastal campaign across Ilocos Norte this October.

The initiative began on 8 October in Davila, Pasuquin, with a mangrove planting and coastal cleanup that aimed to restore degraded mangrove areas and reduce marine waste. On 11 October, volunteers gathered on Badoc Island for a “Sunrise Plogging” activity — a morning beach cleanup that combined exercise with environmental action.

The final leg of the campaign is scheduled for 14 October at the Laoag Sand Dunes, covering Barangays Talingaan and La Paz, where another plogging event will conclude the province-wide effort.

DOERs, which started as a small volunteer group in La Union, has since grown into a regional movement encouraging environmental responsibility through hands-on community engagement.

“We may be a small group, but we believe that big changes start from small acts,” said Venus Angelyka G. Siggaoat, DOERs co-founder and a native of Batac, Ilocos Norte. “We’re not just cleaning beaches — we’re cultivating awareness and a deeper sense of responsibility for our environment.”

The 11 October cleanup on Badoc Island was held in partnership with the Movement Against Plastic Pollution (MAPP) – Ilocos Norte and AMBag sa Kalikasan by Congressman Angelo Marcos Barba. Around 150 volunteers participated, including PGIN scholars, Ilocos Sirena Free Divers, the Marine Battalion Landing Team – 8, Coast Guard Ilocos Norte, 582nd Air Wing Control Group (Paredes Air Station), Barangay Pagsanahan Sur Council, BROs, local fisherfolk, and DOERs members from La Union.

Volunteers collected 55 sacks of plastic debris and bottles, much of it washed ashore by recent typhoons. The recovered materials will be donated to Marcos Central Elementary School, where they will be repurposed into eco-ornaments and plant pots for the school’s Clean and Green campaign.

Organizers say the campaign highlights how grassroots action can contribute to broader environmental goals, especially in coastal areas vulnerable to climate change and plastic pollution.

“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.” – John Muir