Shore It Up kicks off in Zambales

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines – The corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the MVP Group of Companies yesterday kicked off the coastal and underwater cleanup campaign “Shore It Up” in Zambales.

The Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF) has forged agreements with the local government of Zambales, Lighthouse Marina Resort, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to restore selected coastal areas in Zambales.

The MPIF was represented in the agreement by Metro
Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) vice president for corporate communications Melody del Rosario and consultant for Shore It Up Ralph Balmaceda.

The local government was represented by Zambales Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain, Lighthouse Marina Resort by its sales and marketing manager Zedrik Avecilla, and the SBMA by chairman and administrator Robert Garcia.

Now on its fifth year, Shore It Up continues to extend its reach to major coastal areas that need to be restored to their natural state.

This year, the campaign was held in Anilao, Batangas in May and in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro in July.

Volunteers picked up garbage accumulated on the coastline, while licensed volunteer divers hauled up debris that accumulated along the shoreline. Around 500 kilos of trash were gathered in each site and these were turned over to the local government units for proper disposal.

The Shore It Up campaign also includes tree planting activities, waste segregation, installation of artificial reefs, and awareness sessions on environmental issues.

As MPIF’s resort partner for the Zambales leg of Shore It Up, Lighthouse Marina Resort will host waste management workshops and coordinate with the local government for the implementation of the campaign.

In the last five years, Lighthouse has engaged in various environmental CSR activities which include coastal cleanup and awareness campaigns in Zambales, such as the hosting of the International Coastal Cleanup every third Saturday of September.

Over the past five years, Shore it Up has gained 13,000 volunteers and 43 event partners, among which is The Philippine STAR.

Other firms of the MVP Group of Companies participating in the campaign are Philex Mining, Metro Pacific Tollways, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., SMART Communications, SPi Global, and Maynilad Water Services Inc.

The Meralco Foundation and SMART Foundation – the CRS arms of Meralco and PLDT – are also partners in the campaign.