Hundreds of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) employee-volunteers will join simultaneous cleanup drives at 15 coastal sites across the country this weekend, in celebration of International Coastal Cleanup Day and as part of the company’s continuing initiative to clear rivers and waterways of waste.
This year, SMC’s Team Malasakit employee-volunteers are targeting a total of 55 coastal cleanups nationwide. The company aims to surpass last year’s record, when volunteers collected 36.3 metric tons of mostly plastic waste. In 2023, cleanups across 23 sites yielded 29 tons of garbage.
The latest coastal drives also coincide with SMC’s 135th anniversary this September. Its largest effort will take place at Manila Bay, where about 800 volunteers are expected to begin their cleanup as early as 6:00 a.m. Other activities will simultaneously unfold in four additional coastal sites in Luzon, five in the Visayas, and five in Mindanao.
“Protecting our bodies of water has long been a major advocacy of San Miguel. I’m glad that this has become ingrained in our company culture—that our employees nationwide are volunteering by the thousands and getting personally involved,” said Ramon S. Ang, SMC Chairman and CEO.
SMC already conducted an early wave of cleanup drives last September 13 in 10 coastal and riverside areas, including sites in Bataan, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon province, Camarines Sur, and Malita, Davao.
This weekend’s coastal cleanups will cover several sites across the country. In Luzon, activities will take place in Sual and Lingayen in Pangasinan, Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Mariveles in Bataan, and Masinloc in Zambales. In the Visayas, volunteers will gather in Corden, Iloilo, in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, in Tabango, Leyte, and in Mandaue, Cebu. In Mindanao, the cleanups will be held in Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur, in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, and in Malita, Davao.
Volunteers will collect various waste materials—from plastic packaging, discarded nets, and sachets to cigarette butts, rubber, and even household appliances. Beyond cleanup, teams will sort, weigh, and record debris to contribute to data on the country’s ecological footprint.
With 17 more cleanup sites to be scheduled soon, SMC hopes to inspire behavioral change within local communities, raising awareness on the importance of proper waste management and ocean conservation.
The initiative forms part of the San Miguel Group’s broader sustainability program, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 14: Life Below Water). It also complements SMC’s Better Rivers PH program, which in the past five years has cleared more than 8.6 million metric tons of silt and solid waste from 164 kilometers of river channels in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. By expanding water-carrying capacity, the program has helped mitigate flooding and improved resilience in surrounding communities.