Mayor Junard Chan on Wednesday said tourists who want to take a dip at the pristine beaches in this historical and tourist island city are assured of environmentally-safe coastal waters for swimming and diving.

Chan made the assurance as local government personnel, police and representatives from various government agencies collected about 400 kilos of garbage from the waters of the island of Pangan-an during the coastal clean-up drive on Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Richard Oliver, the Lapu-Lapu City police deputy director for administration, led his men in wading through knee-deep water to pick up plastics and other waste materials polluting the beach.

Dr. Ronald Oporto, officer-in-charge of Lapu-Lapu City’s City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), said his team gathered islanders for an orientation for proper waste segregation, to prevent garbage from being washed up on the beaches.

Oporto said the local government and the district’s congressional office will provide free toilets per sitio and will install communal comfort rooms with flushing water connected to the sea and with septic tanks to prevent waste from going directly into the sea.

His office has also conducted registration for the 40 pump boats for free insurance coverage against accidents and calamities.

Pangan-an Island, about an hour and 20 minutes by boat, is suitable for diving, fishing, snorkelling, and island hopping. It consists of nine sitios, and a population of 2,859 based on the 2022 census. (PNA)