A group of Philippine Science High School-Southern Mindanao Campus (Pisay) students visited the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park, managed by Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. last March 19, 2022 to conduct a coastal clean up and plant additional mangrove trees.

Among the participants is Demi, a Grade 12 student, who expressed great concern about the state of the environment, “We don’t really know what will happen in the future and seeing the state of the world right now, it is very worrying. There has to be something, even small acts, we can do.” Demi plans to become a geodetic engineer in the future.

“I think hands-on activities like the coastal clean up and mangrove planting are impactful because people can see immediate results. If people see the power of what a group of people can do, they’ll be moved to work hard towards accomplishing a task,” Lorenzo, a Grade 12 student said. “I believe that most people, including myself, are sometimes too lazy to take action [regarding the conservation of the environment], especially if no one takes initiative, so that's why I feel like these sort of events are helpful,” Lorenzo added. He plans to study agriculture in college.

The students collected sacks of trash, including an old television, that was tossed by the waves along the coastline. The most common garbage collected were bottles of mineral water.

Ryan, a parent of one of the participants, mentioned how they avoid using air conditioners and natural wood in their home. “Basically, I am an example to my children. We do practice activities in our home that would actually conserve the environment.”

The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park is an eight-hectare ecological preserve and biodiversity conservation site. The park is located at the coastal area of Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya, Davao City and is a known nesting ground of the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle.