00:00An underwater photographer in Batangas was able to capture an octopus that was attached to a candy wrapper.
00:07There was also an octopus that was attached to a toothbrush.
00:10These are all signs of a growing problem in the garbage in the ocean.
00:16Vona Kino has a report.
00:21This is a paper nautilus, a type of octopus in Hanau Bay in Batangas.
00:26The underwater photographer, Wayne Jones, was able to capture an octopus when he went diving on January 25.
00:32Wayne noticed something different about the nautilus, which is usually attached to candy wrappers.
00:37It was a paper nautilus on a plastic wrapper.
00:43I don't think it's harmful to the actual paper nautilus.
00:48But, you know, it just represents the situation of the amount of plastics that are in the ocean.
00:55Aside from the plastic wrapper, the nautilus also attached to the toothbrush.
00:59In a separate dive, Wayne also saw a plastic that was attached to a seahorse.
01:04According to the Ocean Conservancy, about 8 million metric tons of plastic is thrown into the ocean every year.
01:11According to UNESCO, 80% of marine pollution is plastic, which usually does not melt or last long before disappearing.
01:19It is estimated that about 75 to 199 million tons of plastic can currently be found in the oceans, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
01:30What matters is that 36% of the plastic in the oceans around the world comes from the Philippines.
01:37All I can do is take images and share them.
01:42It's not just a local issue, it's a national, global issue.
01:49And so that's why everyone needs to get on board and pressure their governments to do something about what is happening.
01:59The DENR has estuaries and river rangers who clean the garbage in the waterways.
02:06The agency named them and introduced them earlier.
02:09What you are doing is more than defending and removing garbage.
02:14This is a powerful declaration of hope and tolerance.
02:22The DENR also urged the community to move because conservation of the environment is not just the duty of some.
02:29Conservation of the environment is not just a job, but a responsibility that belongs to our people and culture.
02:37Vaughn Aquino reporting for GMA Integrated News.
