The Environmental Management Bureau-Region VI (EMB-6) recently held a spoken word poetry event at SM City Iloilo as part of last month’s Philippine Environment Month.

“This activity not only aimed at improving the skills of students in speaking and performing on stage but also to inspire people to take action [on] present environmental issues,” said EMB-6 director, Dr. Sophie Manuel.

Mark Reagan Teorima of La Paz National High School won with a piece entitled “Plastik.”

Earlier this year, EMB-6 conducted an investigation into the alleged use of coal ash for the Iloilo Esplanade extension after receiving a complaint claiming filling materials for the Iloilo Esplanade expansion near St. Paul’s Hospital used coal ash taken from the Panay Energy Development Corporation coal-fired power plant in Iloilo City’s La Paz district./WDJ