Samal Island has been participating and developing partnerships, internationally and locally, in beating environmental challenges. One of the partners is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the implementers of the Ending Plastic Pollution Innovation Challenge (EPPIC) project, which is funded by the Norwegian government.
On February 8, 2023, the Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines, Christian Halaas Lyster, and UNDP Philippines Resident Representative, Dr. Selva Ramachandran, paid a visit to City Mayor Al David T. Uy. As well, part of their visit was to personally witness the progress and meet the partnered communities of the EPPIC winning projects, Trash Cash PH and Pure Oceans.
Both winners proudly and comprehensively demonstrated how their project works and explained the participation of the communities. Trash Cash Ph concentrates on ending plastic pollution through the mobile application and reward system, while Pure Oceans introduced their partnered coastal community of upcycling plastic waste into high-quality bricks.
Mayor Uy gratefully welcomed and expressed gratitude to Norwegian Ambassador Lyster and Dr. Ramachandaran for forging close collaboration with the city and overseeing the progress and sustainability of the environmental projects. He also hopes to work together not just in the environmental sector but also in sustainable tourism along with the development of the island. “Hopefully you would be able to help us in the area of the sustainable tourism; second is agriculture, because tourism won't strive without agriculture, and we want to showcase the agriculture sector in Samal. We would like to have a partnership with you in the areas of renewable energy and solid waste management, and of course, the policies of good governance to continue the practice of Samal in the area of good local governance,” he added.
Aside from the partnered communities, the visitors went to the Samal Island Davao Connector Project site and Sanipaan Marine Park that show the great management of development and sustainability of resources. (CIO-IGACOS/NBC/RConcepcion)