Siargao, one of the country’s top surfing destinations, has been drawing in more tourists who love its raw beauty.

While it’s also home to many restaurants offering international fare—the pizza at Kermit is great—and is enjoying good tourist traffic, the teardrop-shaped island in Surigao del Norte is still largely unspoiled.

For first-time visitors, the view from the plane can be exhilarating: the island filled with swaying coconut trees, the sea combed with big, splashing waves, with no eye-distracting commercial buildings.

#JuanEffectSiargao

As Siargao becomes more accessible to the public comes the downside—a looming threat of environmental damage.

Cebu Pacific, which flies daily from Manila and Cebu to Siargao, recently launched a campaign, “Juan Effect,” to raise awareness among Filipinos to be responsible tourists by throwing trash properly and reducing waste.

Juan Effect has led to the passing of waste-reduction ordinances in Siargao’s municipalities.

The airline has also commissioned the design and fabrication of plastic-bottle receptacles all over the island. The accumulated bottles will be recycled and transformed into “eco bricks.”

The plastic-bottle bins were turned over by Cebu Pacific at the launch of Juan Effect, with the Department of Tourism as campaign partner. Gracing the event was Tourism Secretary Berna Puyat.

Puyat stressed the vital role the youth will play in the campaign: “I noticed the millennials are aware of responsible tourism. Just last night, I saw a young woman picking up trash in Boracay.” She also noted the youth’s praiseworthy use of social media to promote the campaign in their own way.

A day after the turnover of the plastic-bottle bins, a colorful mural by visual artist Anina Rubio was unveiled, also under the Juan Effect program.

The mural, which symbolizes the colorful underwater life, was painted on the perimeter wall of Dapa Elementary School.

The aim is to encourage schoolchildren to learn about the ecology. “We want kids to be aware that sustainable tourism is not just for adults. It starts with the youth,” said Cebu Pacific director of passenger sales and distribution Arlene Tena.

Also at the event were Juan Effect ambassadors Erwan Heussaff, Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Kyle “Kulas” Jennerman, who gave their respective views on environmental consciousness. —CONTRIBUTED

The public is invited to join the campaign on www.juaneffect.com.
Cebu Pacific flies once daily from Manila to Siargao, and up to four times a day from Cebu to Siargao.
Visit cebupacificair.com.