By: JOEL PINEDA JAQUINTA

The Municipality of E. B. Magalona celebrates environment month with different activities held in the community. Community based activities such as coastal clean-up, mangrove planting is among the major activity that was launch in the weeklong celebration.

Mr. Jojo Vargas, Environment Officer said, “aside from the mangrove planting and coastal clean-up, we initiated a sustainable and environment friendly utensils making contest that was participated by different elementary and high schools around E. B. Magalona”. “This is one way of educating our students and advocating the control if not eliminating the use of single used plastics”, Mr. Vargas added.

Recently, Allianz PNB Life Insurance donated P150,000.00 in cash for the mangrove growing project of the town’s coastal community. A memorandum of Agreement was signed to institutionalized the partnership of the said company with the Municipality in different environmental protection programs and projects.

Mayor Marvin Malacon lauded the effort of every community and stakeholders from upland to coastal in protecting and preserving the environment and the remaining natural resources. Malacon reiterates his full support to every environment programs being pushed by the community. He likewise thanked the private sectors for choosing the town as partner for their corporate social responsibility projects.

“We are showcasing our effort and initiative to educate our constituents and promote the gems of our town- our natural resources. “That is why we have come up to develop the Tomongtong Eco- Trail”, Mayor Malacon said. “We are piloting this to develop a community based sustainable eco-tourism that our town has the potential”. The model should target to hit “two birds with one stone”, to protect the environment and help our constituents and the community with livelihood and economic opportunity it may bring”, he added.
Every constituent of our town has a stake in the environment for this forms part of our lives and existence here on earth, Malacon laments.

The Municipality of E. B. Magalona together with different schools is a consistent awardee of the Provincial Government Seal of Good Environmental Governance.

Today culmination activities include Bangka race, adventure race, coastal clean-up and mangrove planting participated by different schools and community.