By Princess Dawn H. Felicitas | APRIL 2026

The Metro Pacific Investment Foundation (MPIF), in collaboration with the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) and Municipality of Cordova, Cebu, spearheaded a marine cleanup drive, mobilizing hundreds of volunteers to help protect and preserve the town’s coastal environment.

The activity formed part of MPIF’s biggest Shore It Up! Weekend yet. Now on its 18^th year, this flagship coastal and marine conservation effort of MPIF, the corporate social responsibility arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), is held every last weekend of March annually.

On March 29, 2026, 307 volunteers that include Cordova local government officials and employees, marine watch personnel, barangay volunteers, divers, and student emergency responders collected 987 kilograms of waste, equivalent to 10,278 pieces of trash, across three key coastal areas.

These were Barangay Day-as, Cordova Roro Port in Barangay Poblacion, and Barangay Catarman, communities that are all situated near the 8.9-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

Among the most common waste materials collected were plastic bags, bottle caps, plastic cups and plates, and styrofoam take out containers, highlighting the persistent challenge of single-use plastics.

As part of long-term marine protection and conservation efforts, volunteers also planted 150 mangroves in Barangay Day-as, home to Visayas’ first Mangrove Propagation and Information Center, and the third of its kind in the country, that was built both by MPIF and CCLEC. The Municipality of Cordova is home to 278 hectares of mangroves.

Cordova is one of the eight partner sites that participated in the nationwide Shore It Up! Weekend, alongside Del Carmen, Siargao; Alaminos, Pangasinan; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; Medina, Misamis Oriental; Marinduque; Mabini, Batangas; as well as partner organizations Tubbataha Reefs Management Office and the Resort Owners Association of Mabini, Batangas.

Participating sites also observed Earth Hour through a coordinated lights-off activities. CCLEC switched off the aesthetic lighting of CCLEX’s main bridge.

This year’s Shore It Up! Weekend carries the theme “One Hour for the Planet, One Weekend for Our Shores” and highlights the community-driven approach to environmental conservation.