LOOK: ‘Scubasureros’ dive for garbage in waters of Hundred Islands

Not all scuba divers at the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos City in Pangasinan were diving for pleasure last weekend—some of them were diving for garbage.

The divers, dubbed "Scubasureros," are part of cleanup efforts in the tourist attraction, GMA Dagupan's Jette Arcellana reported Monday.



"Kung ikaw ay regular swimmer lang, parang hindi mo siya mapapansin, parang pag gumamit ka talaga ng gauge natin, yung snorkeling gauge natin, makikita mo talaga yung mga ganitong basura," said city tourism officer Solomon Tablang.

It was the first time the scubasureros dived in Hundred Islands since the management of the park was turned over to the local government in 2005.

During last weekend's dives, the scubasureros collected some 10 bags of trash from each of the eight islands they cleaned up.

Most of the trash they collected included plastic items, which can be potentially deadly to dolphins.

"[A]lam niyo kasi ang plastic, hindi nagde-decay yan, and then yung plastic pag nasa tubig it looks like a jellyfish, kaya ito kinakain ng mga dolphin. At yung dolphin naman, ito ang ikinamamatay nito," said city environment officer Narciso Aragon.

The cleanup was a joint effort of the local government unit, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the City Environment Office, the Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, and local boat operators.

They also ask tourists to do their part in keeping the park clean.

"Yung mga turista ay mag-uuwi din ng mga basura, mangongolekta rin, para naman malinis ang ating parke," Aragon said. — Joel Locsin/BM, GMA News