Water Summit 2025 award for Tanon Strait project. Therma Visayas Environment Supervisor Emalyn Sevilla (center) receives a plaque of recognition from DENR OIC and Assistant Secretary for Environment Jacqueline A. Caancan, CESO III (2nd from left) and EMB-7 Regional Director Ma. Victoria Abrera (3rd from left) during the ceremony. (Photo Courtesy of EMB Central Office Facebook Page)
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) recognized the conservation efforts of its local affiliate, together with Therma Visayas, Inc. (TVI), in helping protect the Tañon Strait in Cebu.
TVI, a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, and the Environmental Management Bureau Region VII (EMB-7) were among the honorees for the Adopt-an-Estero/Waterbody partners during the Water Summit 2025, an event organized by DENR-EMB. It acknowledged TVI’s waste collection initiatives in the Tañon Strait, particularly its coastal and underwater cleanup efforts.
The Tañon Strait is the largest marine protected area in the Philippines under the National Integrated Protected Areas System. It is adjacent to TVI’s 340-megawatt power plant in Toledo City, Cebu.
From March 2024 to date, the partnership among EMB-7, the Toledo City local government, and TVI has resulted in the collection of nearly 4,600 kilograms of waste from coastal cleanups under the Adopt-an-Estero or Waterbody Program. The "Scubasurero" underwater cleanup program contributed 207.5 kilograms to the collected waste.
The collaborative project for the Tañon Strait was among the Water Summit’s noted examples of localized, science-driven collaboration in marine protection, aligning with DENR-EMB’s call for grounded, community-based strategies to improve water quality across regions.
"Protecting the Tañon Strait is a shared legacy. By empowering communities and working closely with regulators and volunteers, we are helping nurture a marine ecosystem that future generations can still depend on,” said TVI Environment Supervisor Emalyn Sevilla.
"The awards affirm our belief that genuine water governance must be collaborative, grounded, and driven by local action,” added DENR OIC and Assistant Secretary for Environment Jacqueline Caancan. “Let us remember, our greatest innovation, our most powerful strategy, lies in the strength of our collective spirit and the power of shared responsibility.”
