For most people, Boracay on a Labor Day weekend means only one thing: endless partying. So imagine our surprise when NESTEA invited the InqPOP! team to go to Boracay, not only to party, but to join them in their first ever Love The Beach shore clean-up campaign.
Shortly after settling down in our rooms, we were whisked off to a very nice sunset party where we spoke with Marla Mariano who’s handling NESTEA’s marketing, promotions, and events.
“This year’s campaign is very much different from the previous ones we’ve done. This year, it’s called ‘NESTEA Love The Beach’ specifically because we really want to focus on our advocacy. Once again, we teamed up with Boracay Foundation which entails a lot of things, [one of which is] our Pitchers For A Cause effort.”
“We sell our pitchers throughout the Labor Day weekend and a substantial amount of the proceeds will go to Boracay Foundation to help fund what they really need, which is a beach cleaning machine.”
“Every year, Boracay has been welcoming NESTEA, and every year, we try to leave Boracay a better place,” she continued. “Hopefully this is just the start of our advocacy. In the coming years, we want to expand the campaign. NESTEA is all about the beach, and it’s all about loving the beach. We want to make a mark here in Boracay, as a stepping stone.”
Boracay Foundation is the biggest non-profit organization in the island, comprised of over 150 partner establishments and individuals. Their aim is to ensure Boracay’s environmental and commercial sustainability through various preservation and restoration projects in coordination with government agencies and community members.
We spoke with Annie Trixie Asis, a Marine Biologist and Project Officer for Boracay Foundation:
“We’re happy na very committed ang NESTEA in their advocacy in helping Boracay. Hindi lang one-time event yung gusto nilang mangyari sa Boracay. They want to impart talaga yung advocacy ng preservation ng isla. That is why this year, yung gusto ng NESTEA is part of the sales proceeds ng NESTEA pitchers will be used to purchase a beach cleaning machine para throughout the year tuloy-tuloy yung paglilinis ng beach. Magiging year-round and tulong ni NESTEA.”
For three straight days, a huge crowd formed by the NESTEA Chillax lounge located right on the beach, eager to show their love for Boracay and do their part in NESTEA’s shore clean-up effort.
Cleaning equipment such as gloves, rakes, and labeled sacks were distributed among the volunteers before they were assigned to their individual teams, led by NESTEA’s celebrity ambassadors Jessy Mendiola, Sam YG, Tom Taus, Arisse De Santos, and Joyce Pring.
Some of the country’s top volleyball players (who were there for NESTEA’s Fantasy Volleyball Match) also joined in helping clean Boracay’s shores.
Equipped with sacks labeled Reusable, Biodegradable, and Non-Biodegradable, the volunteers combed the stretch of Boracay’s beach, segregating the various pieces of litter they’ve picked up — mostly cigarette butts, food wrappers, and plastic bottles inadvertently left behind by the party island’s revelers.
One of the most amusing things we have observed was how everybody who participated was in high spirits. Who knew picking up litter would be this much fun? We spoke with NESTEA’s brand ambassadors along with several of the volunteers to get their thoughts on NESTEA’s Love The Beach campaign and this was what they had to say:
Sam YG
#NesteaLoveTheBeach ambassador
“Well it was definitely a good experience! It’s fun to be back in Boracay. Boracay has given us so many good memories, it’s time to return the favor to Boracay. Sayang naman ‘yung next generation if they don’t get to enjoy Boracay for what it is.”
Jessa May Tampos
Beach clean-up volunteer
“Masaya! Nakakatulong sa area natin na maging malinis, saka bawas sa basura. Mas malinis na ngayon dahil ang daming tumutulong sa paglilinis dito. Pati mga guests na pumupunta dito, nagiging aware sila sa pagtatapon ng basura, hindi lang kung saan- saan. Dapat maging concerned sa nature para ‘wag masira ang Boracay.”
Tom Taus
#NesteaLoveTheBeach ambassador
“I’m just glad I’m able to give back to the environment. I think as humans, it’s our responsibility to clean up after ourselves. God didn’t put this world with the trash already in it; that’s us.”
Mae Jaed Caoili
Beach clean-up volunteer
“Nakaka-enjoy sya, lalo na pag madami kayo. Sabay-sabay kayo kumukuha ng basura. Feel the summer! Kahit mainit, binigyan mo ng kalinisan ang Boracay. Napapaganda ang Boracay.”
Arisse De Santos
#NesteaLoveTheBeach ambassador
“I think the NESTEA shore clean-up effort was very effective. It’s the peak of the Labor Day weekend and most tourists leave trash, so I guess from the local clean-up that we have here, we were able to keep Boracay clean.”
Maria Itchon
Beach clean-up volunteer
“I think it’s a great initiative for NESTEA. It had a pretty good turnout; we got a lot of trash. Hopefully in the future, we’ll start taking care of Boracay more. It was really fun!”
Joyce Pring
#NesteaLoveTheBeach ambassador
“I love it! I think it’s a wonderful campaign that we should all support and I hope that we will be able to bring this elsewhere, not just in Boracay, but in other beaches in the Philippines. We have such a beautiful country and one way that we can give back to our privilege of living in a beautiful country is to give our love back as well. Take care of it and don’t forget to enjoy.”
Jessy Mendiola
#NesteaLoveTheBeach ambassador
“It’s good that NESTEA has this campaign. Where else do you want to
spend your summer, ‘di ba? Syempre beach. And I really think we have the best beaches here in the Philippines. It’s like one of our treasures. So we really have to take care of these places kasi ‘di lang sya tourist spots, it’s also for us. I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s a blessing also that I’m part of NESTEA as an ambassador kasi I really love the beach and now that we have a campaign like this, it’s just so fulfilling and so nice to be a part of it.”
Apart from making sure the shores of the island were litter-free, NESTEA also had dive volunteers sift through the reefs of Boracay.
After three days, NESTEA’s Love The Beach campaign instilled in us a renewed sense of responsibility and ownership of our environment. Seeing people sign up to take care of Boracay without expecting anything in return was definitely one of the highlights of the entire weekend. If NESTEA’s aim was for people to learn to love the beach, then they have definitely succeeded.
Nestea Beach 2016 is in partnership with PLDT Alpha and Smart, official connectivity partners; and Mikasa, the official ball of the 19th Nestea Beach Volley.