Divers of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 11 and volunteers participated in ScuBasurero, the reef clean-up drive, in the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), Davao del Norte on Wednesday.
Scubasurero is an annual activity of DENR aiming for a much cleaner ocean and undisturbed coral reefs.
Divers plunged in the deep waters of barangays Dadatan and Linusutan as one of the major efforts of DENR 11 to preserve the reef and protect marine life in these areas.
The activity is aligned with the celebration of this year’s Month of the Ocean wherein a coastal clean-up was also conducted in the barangays of Miranda, Tambo, Camudmud and Villarica.
The entire clean-up is a reiteration of DENR Sec. Roy Cimatu’s appeal to the public “to protect coastal resources and to cut down on the use of plastics that usually end up in the oceans.”
“It is important that we maintain a healthy and garbage free-ocean by practicing waste segregation and proper waste disposal most especially in our coastal areas. This is exactly what is being emphasized in this year’s Month of the Ocean theme Free the Sea from Marine Debris,” DENR 11 Regional Executive Director Ruth Tawantawan said.
Victor Billiones, the Provincial Environment Officer of Davao del Norte, hopes the activity will encourage a lot of people to conserve the marine resources even though the “efforts may seem small.”
