In support of the government’s call for responsible and sustainable tourism, Globe Telecom joined the week-long celebration of Boracay’s rehabilitation aimed at encouraging residents, tourists, and other stakeholders to be more environmentally conscious.
Almost 300 participants from the Globe Store in Boracay, Boracay Foundation Inc., Boracay Inter- agency task force, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, Team Boracay Cyclist, Philippine National Police, Malay Solid Waste, and Asean Centre for Biodiversity worked together to ensure that the country’s favorite summer getaway retains its pristine condition. The team gathered 32 bags of plastic waste and trash scattered along the popular White Beach where local and foreign tourists often converge.
At the same time, Globe put up an Eco Booth in D’mall where anyone can exchange their plastic bags with eco bags to encourage a more sustainable practice.
“Boracay has always been very close to the hearts of every Filipino. Recently, it became the center of everyone’s attention. As Filipino Citizens, it is our responsibility to help out and contribute in our shared purpose to rehabilitate Boracay. Beyond business, we will help make the island a safe and sustainable ecotourism destination through replicable and scalable solutions,” said Globe Senior Vice President for Consumer Mobile Business, Issa Guevarra-Cabreira.
Six months prior to Love Boracay, Globe, in partnership with Manila Water Foundation, has initiated several sustainable long term rehabilitation activities for Boracay such as the construction of a communal septic tank in Sitio Ilaya, Barangay Balabag and the provision of two months worth of Virgomin organic water treatment for septic tanks to all 4,000 households.
These efforts were aimed to ensure that locals, especially the low income households, are presented with options on how to contribute to the rehabilitation of the island through proper septage containment and management.
Alongside the sanitation projects, Globe, together with Save Philippine Seas, has conducted a three-day workshop on Marine Biodiversity attended by local business owners, students and teachers. The workshop focused on ways to protect marine life by adopting sustainable approaches to business operations such as reducing the use of single-use plastic.
Since 2012, Globe has been actively helping Boracay with its environmental initiatives such as marine life protection, offshore clean-up training, coral reef planting, support for conservation efforts by local stakeholders, and raising environmental awareness among the youth and local residents.
