23 November 2019, Mangrove Sanctuary, Tibaguin, Hagonoy, Bulacan. Coordinated and led by Klaude Niklaus Sali of One Child One Tree, the clean-up drive was made possible by the selfless contribution of its volunteers along with other volunteers from Leading Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) and teachers from Ramona S. Trillana High School, members of the Supreme Student Government of Lingunan National High School with their adviser Jeffrey de Leon, officers and members of Municipal Cooperative Development Council (MCDC), and Hagonoy Fish Farmers Cooperative, and some Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) councils.
Honourable Raulito Manlapaz, Sr., Hagonoy Municipal Mayor and Engr. Velasco provided the trash boat which transported tens of segregated waste from the mangrove area to the designated dump site. Mr Vic Cruz also provided one boat and was joined by members of Hagonoy Fish Farmers Cooperative, along with two more boats hired by One Child, One Tree to transport the volunteers from Hagonoy town centre to Tibaguin Mangrove Sanctuary.
One Child, One Tree supporters Erneah Krista Bufa, Engr. Joannie Laderas, Mark Morales and Peter Morales sponsored the volunteers’ lunch.
Barangay Tibaguin is a coastal barangay which is home to 2,884 people (NSO 2015). Residents rely heavily on fisheries as their main source of income. Frequent flooding and the degradation of mangrove forests in the coastal areas of Hagonoy result to reduced harvest and disruption, thereby affecting the social and economic life of the people.
Mangroves play an important role in the ecosystem by providing habitat to air and water animals in addition to mitigating the effects of climate change.
The reforestation of the Mangrove Sanctuary has been the priority of One Child, One Tree and it has planted almost 5,000 mangroves to complement the rehabilitation efforts of the Hagonoy government and other partners. To date, nearly 40,000 mangroves have been planted through the sponsorships of OCOT partners, including Fostering Education for Environment and Development (FEED), represented by its directors Ms. Anne-Marie Mananquil-Bakker and Diane Penales, Good Neighbors Philippines, Engineer Stephen M. Velasco (Hagonoy MENRO), Mr. Vic Cruz and other members of MCDC and Hagonoy Fish Farmers Cooperative, and Bantay Dagat.
Honorable Willy Suico, Tibaguin Barangay Council Chair and his councillors have also been continuously looking after the sanctuary through regular clean-ups and maintaining the fences that help protect the mangroves from water lilies and garbage. The Hagonoy Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) led by Engineer Stephen Velasco also conducts weekly solid waste collection of 50 to 60 sacks from Tibaguin.
The mangrove sanctuary has been declared as a protected area through Municipal Ordinance 2018-141 which was sponsored and lobbied by councillors Millord S. Cruz, Erlinda M. Cruz, Lamberto T. Villanueva, Perfecto S. Casaje, Estelito G. Libao, and Christopher R. Baluyot. Honorable Angel L. Cruz, Jr., Hagonoy Municipal Mayor has also allocated budget for its implementation which will allow for a caretaker to patrol the area. He and the mayor, Honorable Raulito T. Manlapaz, Sr. have pledged full support to the reforestation program.
The clean-up resulted to collection of over 50 sacks of plastics that pollute and destroy the mangroves, ultimately affecting the wildlife and livelihood of Hagonoeños.
A volunteer from LEAF said, “we chose to volunteer because lending a hand without expecting anything in return is a Filipino trait. It’s what we call Bayanihan. We want to inspire others and show that Bayanihan is still alive among us. We may not be the ones who own that trash buy we are the ones who own this planet. We believe in putting words into action and continue to encourage everyone to volunteer”.
OCOT would like to thank our volunteers who have generously offered their time and energy.
From OCOT: | From LEAF: | 31 | John Wendell Aguinaldo | 47 | Idol Lucero | ||
1 | Klaude Niklaus Sali | 16 | Jose Aguilar, Jr. | 32 | Jonathan David Cruz | 48 | Jan Mark Niño Tao-on |
2 | Charles Estrella | 17 | Airon Joshua Balingit | 33 | Justine Martinez | 49 | Janzen Maata |
3 | Christian dela Cruz | 18 | Alexis Adrian Santos | 34 | Marlon Lopez | 50 | Marvin Orosco |
4 | Alvin Acuna | 19 | Alliyah Beatrice Ramos | 35 | Nikka Kristine Reyes | 51 | Maxx Andrei de Leon |
5 | Caster Troy | 20 | Angelo Perez | 36 | Pablo Santos | ||
6 | Dondon Santos | 21 | Aron Dionisio | 37 | Raymart Bautista | ||
7 | Eugene Williams | 22 | Charlene Santos | 38 | Rhea Pauline Francisco | ||
8 | Jerome dela Cruz | 23 | Eduard Medina | 39 | Vilma Ocampo | ||
9 | Kristian Domingo | 24 | Efraim Santos | 40 | Yolanda Narciso | ||
10 | Patrick Domingo | 25 | Emilia Galvez | 41 | From Lingunan National High School: | ||
11 | Rafael de Leon | 26 | Gabriel Mendoza | 42 | Jeffrey de Leon | ||
12 | Madi Atienza | 27 | Gian Buensuseso | 43 | Ace Vergel Aranas | ||
13 | Notz Reyes | 28 | James Daniel Cruz | 44 | Andrei Agulto | ||
14 | Renz Reyes | 29 | Jamlu Atienza | 45 | Emie Rosem Sabado | ||
15 | Rowell Piscasio | 30 | Jerome Santos | 46 | Ivee Sto. Domingo |
CONTACT One Child, One Tree
This clean up was the first of regular activities by OCOT. We need more volunteers to help in the next ones. If you’re interested, please contact Natalia Sali at natsali2001@yahoo.com or send a message via One Child, One Tree FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/ONE-CHILD-ONE-TREE-112162786893131/.
Let’s aim for a cleaner and greener Hagonoy!
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