Play for the Mangroves kicks off in the Philippines
By Joseph Clerici
Communications Director
Play for the Mangroves, Seacology’s innovative program that combines youth sports with mangrove education, is now in the Philippines! After two very successful demonstrations, we’re excited for the future of this unique approach to conservation.
Caribbean roots
Play for the Mangroves began in 2021 as a part of our national mangrove conservation initiative in the Dominican Republic. In a country famous for its love of baseball (and for all of the MLB stars from the DR), it was a no-brainer to pair the national passion for sports with environmental education.
The idea is simple: Kids and teens get free baseball and volleyball gear (volleyball is especially popular with girls there) and compete in tournaments hosted by Seacology and our partners. The kids also go on field trips to mangroves to view wildlife, plant mangroves, pick up trash, and learn in a fun way.
So far, more than 5,000 players have received equipment and uniforms, and have explored local mangrove forests, planting thousands of trees and helping with dozens of cleanups. Even though mangroves are common, many kids don’t pay much attention to them, much less really explore them or learn about their many benefits. Our program’s goal is to make them advocates for these critical ecosystems—while having fun!
Passing to the Pacific
Last year, we launched Play for the Mangroves Philippines, in a country where Seacology has a long history. We began with a high school in Gubat in eastern Luzon island and an elementary school in Lobo, a municipality south of Manila where Seacology has two previous projects.
In the DR, baseball and volleyball reign supreme. But the Gubat high school chose table tennis. It’s very popular—and the school’s coach is a former national champion. In Lobo, the younger kids picked basketball, another Philippines favorite.
We partnered with the ABS-CBN Foundation, a nationwide charitable organization that serves underprivileged youth and promotes environmental protection, among other causes. Once led by former environment minister and 2017 Seacology Prize recipient Gina Lopez, the ABS-CBN Foundation designed the logo, uniforms, and other merchandise and helped coordinate events.
Game time
After a delay due to Typhoon Pepito, the event in Gubat was held on November 24. (Thanks in part due to the healthy mangroves along its coast, the area was spared the worst of the storm’s impact.) Over a hundred enthusiastic kids, their teachers, and community members gathered to receive their new gear before heading into the Tulay sa Tibo mangrove forest for an interpretive walk (and some trash pickup). Back at school, they had two hours of intense but fun competition, showing off their command of table tennis and eventually inviting siblings and friends to join in.
Seacology and ABS-CBN Foundation staff hand off equipment to the school in Lobo.
The first tournament was held in Gubat in November.
Kids in Lobo explore the Olo-Olo Mangrove Forest and Eco Park.
Participants answer questions during a lecture about mangroves.
The school reports that the program has had other impacts as well. The new sports equipment has made the school a more popular meeting place for kids in their spare time, and the school is expecting an increase in enrollment.
This month, Program Coordinator Ricel Almadovar, Field Representative Ferdie Marcelo, and I represented Seacology in Lobo. The kids’ enthusiasm was contagious—I’ve never seen kids more excited to be at school on a Saturday. And several educators commented approvingly on the health benefits of the exercise.
The players were organized into six teams, each with a jubilant chant they had written. A renowned local artist had painstakingly recreated the Play for the Mangroves logo by hand for the stage backdrop. After speeches from the principal, the captain of the barangay (local government), and a representative from the national department of education, the kids headed to the coast to get their hands dirty.
Escaping the tropical sun, they entered the shade of the Lagadlarin Mangrove Forest and Eco Park and explored a long winding boardwalk through the dense trees. The park’s leaders gave them mangrove seedlings to plant in an open area. After a quick trash cleanup on the adjoining beach, they returned to the school for a talk about everything they’d just seen, then wasted no time donning their new jerseys for the basketball tournament.
After more than three hours of play, Yellow Team emerged victorious. But there will be many more chances for the other teams!
