MAKATI CITY — Batch 1991 alumni of the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) took to heart the mission to help regreen Negros Oriental, and initiated the action for an “exclusive mangrove zone” (EMZ) in barangay Banilad in the capital city of Dumaguete .
The involvement of SSEAYP-1991 in the greening activities is a testament to the batch’s “ideal of paying forward for a better world for the coming generations”, said Sidney Lee, a Dumagueteño who participated in the Southeast Asian program 32 years ago.
The SSEAYP is an annual youth program on friendship and mutual understanding organized by the government of Japan, that takes about 300 youth delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Lao People’s Republic, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Japan around their countries for over 40 days on board the ship Nippon Maru.
According to Lee, who became National Leader for the 2018 Philippine delegation to the SSEAYP voyage, Batch ‘91 donated 1,200 mangrove seedlings for the EMZ project in Banilad.
Lee, who is also coordinator of the Allied Mangrove-Planting Organizations (AMPO) in Negros Oriental, said the EMZ project was chosen as a SSEAYP Batch ‘91 activity because of its relevance and urgency as an environment issue in the country.
AMPO is a local coalition of several private organizations committed to planting mangroves around the Province.
SSEAYP ‘91 also donated 4,000 mangrove seedlings for another mangrove planting activity along the coast of the town of Sibulan, which was implemented by SSEAYP International Philippines Inc., the alumni association of the Ship participants.
Batch ‘91 was also represented in Dumaguete by Michelle Uson-Laurel and Sahlee Cariño- Camposano.
Hundreds of other volunteers from various organizations in the Province also took part in the activity, including the Rotary Club of Dumaguete South headed by its president, Alex Pal. (Kelly Mercado-Flynn/SSEAYP ‘91)
