ORION, Bataan: The Nuclear-Free Bataan Movement (NFBM) and the Young Bataeños for Environmental Advocacy Network (YoungBEAN) conducted planting of mangroves and cleanup of mangrove sanctuary here Saturday.
The two organizations located in Bataan also urged the youth and communities to plant more mangroves and help save the environment.
Derek Cabe, NFBM/Coal-Free Bataan Movement coordinator, said the groups launched a series of environmental activities that featured mangrove planting and the cleanup of the mangrove sanctuary in Barangay Balut, Orion.
This, Cabe said, is part of their observance of Global Earth Month that underscore the importance of protecting the coastal ecosystems in the province. “Saving the environment is not just a slogan but it is a daily practice of choosing sustainability over exploitation, and responsibility over apathy.”
“We need to stand up for environmental justice not just for Bataeños but also for the Filipino youth because we refuse to leave an uncertain future for them. We believe that the environmental and climate crisis can be addressed if only if we start doing what is good for the environment,” Cabe furthered.
“We have to stop the destructive activities and to hold the polluters responsible and liable for the damage they are causing,” she added.
YoungBEAN secretary general Eric Beren said that young people are not merely beneficiaries of environmental protection but also key agents of change. “We are thus compelled to take it as our role and responsibility to protect Mother Nature and consequently, to contribute to the common good for the protection of our future.”
The wo groups pointed out that Bataan’s remaining mangrove areas remain under pressure from reclamation, industrial expansion, and unsustainable development, making grassroots stewardship even more urgent.
They urged local government units, schools, businesses, and residents to join their Earth Month activities and to integrate mangrove protection and waste‑reduction practices into daily life. They called on government to act with urgency in protecting the lives, livelihoods, and futures of their families.
Joining the activities were 100 individuals headed by Concentrix employees in Alabang, students from Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Bataan Peninsula State University, Boys and Girls Scouts, Barangay Balut, municipal agriculture office of Orion, among some others. (30)
