BONTOC, Mountain Province (PIA) – Efforts to preserve the Chico River and save it from the devastating effects of plastic pollution continue to gain community support.
The latest Save the Chico River Raffle Draw has collected a truckload of plastic bottles that could have been thrown into the river that traverses the municipalities of Sabangan, Bontoc and Sadanga in Mountain Province down to Kalinga.
A joint initiative of the Provincial Government, Randyo Natin, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, All Saints Credit Cooperative, Lang-ay Organization, and Mountain Province State University, with the participation of the Philippine Army 1403rd CDC, the Sangguniang Kabataan of Bontoc, and other partner organizations, the activity aims to reduce plastic waste, promote the practice of reduce, reuse, and recycle, help mitigate climate change, and prevent health risks caused by pollution.
According to John Tay-og Pelew of Radio Natin, this activity is designed to raise awareness on the harmful effects of plastic pollution and to encourage community involvement in protecting the environment.
It encourages individuals to collect their plastic bottle wastes, which serve as their entries for the raffle draw held every December.
By collecting and properly disposing plastic bottles, residents help keep the river clean and the surroundings safe from pollution related diseases.
To encourage participation, various prizes are at stake. Last year’s e grand prize, a brand new RUSI motorcycle, was won by Albert Killi, Sr. of Sagada.
Other prizes include a mountain bike, televisions, Cignal satellite sets with free installation, mobile phones, umbrellas, coffee products, food items, and cash prizes.
To join the draw, participants were required to write on a piece of paper their complete name, address, contact number, and signature and place them in the plastic bottles (clean and dry), and bring all their entries at the Provincial Plaza on December 20, 2025, 1 p.m. The more the entries, the more chances to win.
This initiative of saving the Chico River began five years ago within the schools of Bontoc as a simple effort to encourage proper waste disposal among students.
Over time, it expanded into a municipal activity and eventually grew into a province wide campaign, reflecting the increasing public support for environmental protection.
“Amin nga nakipartisipar iti Save Chico River Raffle Draw sipud 2020 enggana tatta a tawen 2025 ket winners amin dagitoy ken nakatulong da pay iti problema a climate change ditoy Mother Earth. Nakatulong da pay iti pangpabassit iti basura ditoy lugar tayo, nakatulong da pay iti panagbaba ti pollution iti Chico River ken baybay a pagbibiyagan dagiti dadduma a tattao,” Tay-og said.
[All participants of the Save Chico River Raffle Draw since 2020 until this year 2025, are all winners. They help in addressing problem of Climate Change, minimize garbage in our area and pollution of Chico River and seas ahich are the source of livelihood of other people.]
The collected plastic bottles were brought to the Pakkil Junk Shop located in Lower Caluttit, Bontoc, for recycling or repurposing. **JDP/VJLT-PIA CAR with reports from Hail, Mountain Province
