The month of March has been nothing short of productive for the Port Management Office of Cagayan de Oro. Aside from celebrating International Women’s Month, the PMO has also conducted activities in promoting environmental awareness and conservation.

The World Water Day was celebrated on 25 March 2022. As part of its efforts in engaging port stakeholders and all personnel in advocating for marine environment conservation, the PMO organized a webinar on the importance of managing water wastes and the relevance of the annual Earth Hour activity.  Chemical Engineers Khalil Lastimosa and Jennifer Lastimosa of the Vital Water Waste Management Services introduced the topic on water conservation and how the ports play an important role in protecting it. According to the statistics they presented from the Environmental Management Bureau, 76.8% of families have toilets but less than 10% is connected to a sewerage system and the rest rely on septic tanks. On the other hand, Marine Conservationist Cherrisse July Ross Adlawan, the World Wide Fund Project Coordinator for Clean Ports, Clean Oceans, thoroughly explained the relevance of the annual Earth Hour activity. During the presentation, she emphasized that this year’s Earth Hour is significant as it is happening in a crucial time for the world with the ongoing pandemic and the recent war between neighboring countries.

In order to sustain its engagement in promoting the campaign for a greener and more sustainable future, the PMO is conducting activities such as mangrove tree planting and coastal cleanups, and collaborating with other agencies and organizations such as the World Wide Fund’s Baseline Study on Port Waste Management, wherein the Port of Cagayan de Oro was one of the three (3) ports in the country chosen to participate based on its potential and the interests of stakeholders.

The PMO MO/C is set to participate in the annual Earth Hour activity on 26 March 2022.-BCAcedera