September 20, 2025 | Brgy. Tingo, Olango Island, Cebu – The third session of the 2025 Ocean Education Program unfolded with an Environmental Action Day—a powerful convergence of science, community, and youth-led stewardship.
The afternoon opened with expert-led talks that brought global marine challenges into sharp local focus. PCV Aubra Sharp unpacked the science behind ocean acidification and sea level rise, linking climate change to the future of coastal communities like Olango. Ms. Rhean Daguing of DENR emphasized Olango’s role as a migratory bird sanctuary and the importance of habitat protection. Ma’am Era Patigdas of OIETA explored sustainable tourism, showing how ecological integrity and community livelihood can thrive together.
After the sessions, students geared up and traveled to the mangrove planting site near Brgy. Tingo Cemetery, where they joined DENR’s Mr. Genaro Soon and Ms. Devine Grace Jumao for a coastal cleanup and mangrove restoration activity.
By guiding students through real-life conservation practices—such as mangrove planting and coastal cleanups—the Ocean Education Program ensures that learning doesn’t end in the classroom. It becomes a lived experience, a habit of care. These activities are not just symbolic gestures; they are formative steps in cultivating intentional environmental responsibility and protecting the marine habitats that sustain island life. When students grasp the science and then apply it with their own hands, they begin to see themselves not as passive observers, but as active stewards of their environment.
That shift—from learning about the ocean to acting for it—is what builds resilient communities and nurtures future ocean leaders. In places like Olango, where the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are felt daily, teaching practical, place-based conservation is not optional—it’s essential. It equips youth with the tools, mindset, and sense of urgency they need to safeguard their ecosystems and inspire others to do the same.
