Stories of inspiration

Neighbors for Nature: PSFI and SPC Join Puerto Princesa to Restore Balance at the 40th International Coastal Cleanup

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY | September 20, 2025

When hundreds of citizens came together at the Puerto Princesa Baywalk for the 40th International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), the air was filled with both urgency and hope. With the theme “Clean Seas Against the Climate Crisis: Tayo ang Solusyon,” the day was more than just about picking up litter. It was about people rising as one to protect the place they call home.

Students, employees, government agencies, private organizations, and local residents showed up in force. Among them were representatives of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), Ms. Cheilo Padilla and Mr. Edong Magpayo, together with Shell Pilipinas Corporation (SPC), led by Puerto Princesa Terminal Manager Mr. Chester Rey.

Volunteers not only collected waste along the Baywalk but also took part in a symbolic act during the 17th Save the Puerto Princesa Bays celebration. They threw “MudBalls” into the bay, eco-friendly spheres that help restore balance by reducing water pollutants and foul odors. It was a small yet meaningful gesture of healing the waters.

Beyond the Baywalk, PSFI and SPC teams rolled up their sleeves at the back entrance of the Shell Terminal in Barangay Bagong Silang. In a matter of hours, they filled two sacks with garbage, mostly single-use plastics. The piles of collected waste served as a reminder of the ongoing challenge to reduce plastic use at the source.

At a time when coastal communities face the brunt of the climate crisis, initiatives like these remind us that action cannot wait. Every bottle collected, every piece of plastic removed, and every MudBall thrown marks a step toward resilience.

As the social arm of Shell companies in the Philippines, PSFI believes that being a good neighbor means standing shoulder to shoulder with communities in the shared work of environmental stewardship. It is not just about fueling lives with energy. It is about ensuring that those lives can flourish in safe, sustainable, and thriving environments.

By working together, citizen by citizen and neighbor by neighbor, change begins with awareness, grows through collective effort, and endures through partnership.

Through its continued presence in local initiatives, PSFI reaffirms that community thrives when people care not only for one another but also for the environment that sustains them. On that September morning in Puerto Princesa, hope floated not just in the waters of the bay but in the hands of every volunteer determined to clean, restore, and protect it

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