Local government units, national government agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations, academic institutions, communities and volunteers join the observance of the International Coastal Cleanup Day on 19 September 2026.

MANILA, Philippines — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) commended the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local government units, participating agencies, businesses, schools, civic organizations and volunteers for the nationwide observance of this year’s International Coastal Cleanup Day.

According to DENR, more than 100,000 volunteers joined cleanup activities at 369 coastal, river, waterway and underwater sites nationwide on September 19, collecting more than 46 tons of waste.

“This nationwide effort shows what Filipinos can accomplish when the government, communities and businesses work together,” said CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje. “We thank the DENR for leading and sustaining this national mobilization, and every volunteer and partner who gave time and effort to protect our waterways and coastlines.”

The CCC also underscored the important role of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in working with provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays to translate public participation into stronger and more consistent local solid-waste management.

Borje said the value of the cleanup must extend beyond the waste collected on a single day.

“A successful cleanup should leave more than a clean shoreline. It should tell us what kinds of waste are reaching our waters, where they are coming from, and which policies, services and behaviors must change,” he said.

The DENR reported that waste collected during the cleanup was weighed, sorted and recorded by type. This information can help identify marine-litter patterns and guide waste-management interventions in areas where they are most needed.

The CCC said this data-driven approach supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s direction to strengthen predictive governance.

In his 2026 State of the Nation Address, the President declared, “We have moved on from the reactive approach. Now, we are not only proactive, but predictive as well, aided by digital tools.”

“Applied to waste management, predictive governance means using what we collect and learn today to prevent the same garbage from reaching our rivers and coastlines tomorrow,” Borje said. “Prediction has value when it changes a decision. That’s how we produce and consume, how waste is collected, where interventions are positioned, and how responsibilities are enforced.”

The CCC likewise recognized private-sector initiatives that connect coastal protection with broader ecosystem restoration.

In Balamban, Cebu, the municipal government led coastal cleanup activities alongside the launch of CarbonPH, a restoration partnership of the Aboitiz Foundation and GCash GForest. The partnership aims to grow one million trees and help restore 1,200 hectares in Balamban, linking action in the uplands with the protection of rivers, communities and coastal ecosystems.

“The Balamban initiative demonstrates why climate and ecosystem action must be ridge-to-reef,” Borje said. “What happens in the uplands eventually affects our rivers and coasts. Restoration, waste management, livelihoods and community participation must therefore be planned as parts of one connected system.”

The CCC emphasized that coastal cleanups must be supported by waste reduction, segregation at source, dependable collection, functioning materials-recovery facilities, recycling and composting, producer responsibility, and effective enforcement of national and local policies.

Cleanup data can help the DENR, DILG and LGUs identify waste-leakage hotspots, improve collection routes and schedules, strengthen barangay-level systems, and position interventions along drainage channels and rivers before garbage reaches the sea.

Businesses must also reduce unnecessary packaging, redesign products and comply fully with the Extended Producer Responsibility Act.

Partnerships such as those led by the Aboitiz Foundation and GCash GForest demonstrate how private resources, technology and public participation can complement government and community action.

“Imagine the goal of less garbage, less time spent cleaning up, and more time for our people to enjoy, protect and draw sustainable livelihoods from our well-managed and protected coastlines,” Borje added.

Observed every third Saturday of September under Presidential Proclamation No. 470, s. 2003, the International Coastal Cleanup Day promotes collective action against marine litter and encourages the use of cleanup data in developing long-term solutions.

The CCC, as the lead policy-making body of the government on climate change, continues to promote integrated and science-based approaches that protect ecosystems, strengthen community resilience and advance sustainable development.

For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming activities and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.