04 October 2014 – The officers, staff and dependents of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah and its attached services volunteered in the International Coastal Cleanup 2014 held on  September 19 at Kaleeg Salma-Buhayrat City, North Obhur in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The event, which was organized by the Alliance of Pro-Active Organizations Center for Environmental Advocacy (APOCEA), was attended by more than 24 Filipino organizations, students and teachers from the various Philippine Schools in Jeddah, as well as other expatriate communities in Jeddah.

The Consulate General’s “Coastal Cleanup Group” (CCG), which was composed of 43 volunteers, was tasked to cleanup Area 5. The CCG gamely and efficiently collected refuse that included a soccer ball, a carpet, wooden planks and steel rods, hundreds of plastic spoons and forks and other things made of plastic. After the cleanup, the CCG gathered in one area at the beach and enjoyed a hearty breakfast which they shared with other kababayans.

A short program and awarding of certificates of appreciation/participation concluded the cleanup activity. In a brief message, Philippine Consul General in Jeddah Leo Tito L. Ausan congratulated APOCEA for spearheading the International Coastal Cleanup 2014 and expressed the Consulate General’s full support to activities of similar nature. He also thanked APOCEA’s sponsors and the Filipino community organizations for their support and participation in the coastal cleanup, without which the activity would not have been successful. He further encouraged everyone to continue doing this worthwhile annual activity for the sake of the marine environment and expressed hoped that there would be more participants next year.  END