Despite repeated appeals for discipline and cleanliness, widespread littering marred several major pilgrimage sites during Holy Week, the EcoWaste Coalition reported.
The group noted a surge of garbage left behind on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, particularly during large religious gatherings such as the Alay Lakad to the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, the Good Friday procession at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, and the Way of the Cross at the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine.
“Despite the oft-repeated reminders to leave only footprints, rampant littering again tarnished the Holy Week as if it has become a tradition in itself,” said Ochie Tolentino of the EcoWaste Coalition.
Tolentino urged faith leaders and devotees to embrace ecological responsibility.
“As old habits die hard, we urge everyone, especially our faith leaders and the faithful, to persevere in promoting shared responsibility towards ecological conversion, so we dispose of practices that disrespect and harm Mother Earth,” he added.
The coalition estimated that around six million devotees joined penitential and thanksgiving walks to Antipolo City, leaving behind significant volumes of trash. Tikling Junction was identified as a major littering hotspot, while the grounds of the Antipolo Cathedral were found strewn with plastic bottles and religious materials on Good Friday morning.
In Quiapo, garbage was observed along Quezon Boulevard and Recto Avenue, where more than 500,000 devotees joined the 13-hour procession of the Black Nazarene. At the Lourdes Grotto Shrine, pilgrims left piles of waste along Calvary Hill and nearby picnic areas, with trash bins overflowing.
While littering was less severe at the National Shrine and Parish of the Divine Mercy, EcoWaste’s “Basura Patrollers” noted that the issue persisted across multiple locations.
The group inspected 42 churches in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, commending several sites for maintaining cleanliness and strict ecological waste management practices under Republic Act No. 9003.
Among those recognized were the Cathedral-Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph, St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Minor Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary, Archdiocesan Shrine of St. James the Greater, Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian, Minor Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, and the Holy Spirit Chapel SVD Seminary.
Other litter-free sites included the National Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Aranzazu, Mary Immaculate Parish Nature Church, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, San Bartolome Parish, San Felipe Neri Parish, Santuario de Santo Niño, and Santo Domingo Church.
EcoWaste also expressed appreciation to local government units, church personnel, volunteers, and members of the informal waste sector for their continued efforts in maintaining cleanliness and diverting recyclable materials away from landfills.