DENR Caraga region, headed by Regional Executive Director Nonito M. Tamayo, joins the global celebration of World Environment Day on June 5, 2023.

The Regional Office, along with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau 13, Environmental Management Bureau Caraga, and field offices comprising five PENR Offices and 10 CENR Offices, conducted river, and coastal clean-ups in selected waterbodies region-wide; and tree planting within mined-out, coastal and other suitable planting areas.

The activities also served as a kick-off for the Philippine Environment Month Celebration this June with the theme "No to Waste: Advancing Circular Economy to Beat Plastic Pollution.”

Simultaneously conducted region-wide were clean-up and tree planting along the banks of the Iyao River, a tributary of the Taguibo Rivers that supplies the water needs of Butuan City; Umayam River in Barangay Waloe, Loreto; clean-up drives along the national highway at Purok 7, Maygatasan, and Purok 24, Poblacion, Bayugan City; Magsaysay Park and Malinao Creek in Del Monte, Talacogon, all of Agusan del Sur; Coastal areas in Barangays Mabua and Rosario in Tandag, Surigao del Sur; Hinatuan Island, Tagana-an and Claver, Surigao del Norte.

Likewise, tree planting activities were held within the rehabilitation areas of San Roque Metals Inc. (SRMI), Agata Mining Ventures Inc. (AMVI) under CENRO Tubay, Agusan del Norte; Mindanao Mineral Processing and Refining Corporation (MMPRC) in Agusan del Sur; Adnama Mining Resources Inc. (ARMI), Hinatuan Mining Corporation-Tagaan-an Nickel Project (HMC-TNP), Platinum Group Metals Corporation (PGMC), Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation (THPAL), Greenstone Resources Corporation, Silangan Mindanao Mining Company, Inc. (SMMCI), Manila Mining Corporation (MMC), Pacific Cement Phils. Inc. (PCPI), Pacific Nickel Phils. Inc. (PNPI) all under PENRO Surigao del Norte; Carrascal Nickel Corporation, Kafugan Mining Inc., Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation, 4D Ventures and Development Inc., CTP Construction and Mining Corporation under CENRO Cantilan, Surigao del Sur; Philsaga Mining Corporation (PMC) in CENRO Lianga, Surigao del Sur; and Cagdianao Mining Corporation (CMC), Libjo Mining Corporation (LMC), SRMI-Dinagat, Westernshore Nickel Corporation (WNC), Oriental Vision Mining Phils. Corp. (OVMPC), Sinosteel Philippines, SinoSteel Philippines HY Mining Corp. and Stagno Mining Corporation under PENRO Dinagat Islands.

Aside from the mined-out areas, tree-planting activities also took place along the Sian River in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Bislig City and in the coastal Barangay of Wakat, Lianga, Surigao del Sur; Barangay Waloe of Loreto, and Barangay Consuelo of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.

The activities resulted to the planting of 27,502 seedlings of indigenous tree species, mangroves and bamboo by 1,866 volunteer planters from various government agencies, academe, local government units, mining companies, private institutions and IPs, and other stakeholders.

The clean-up drives also gathered more than 500 kilos of waste which are mostly plastics, more than 53 percent of which are residuals.