Manta Ray Battalion cleans up PakPak Beach

Saipan Southern High School’s Manta Ray Battalion JROTC cadets cleaned up Pak Pak Beach last Saturday as part of their community service requirement.

The cleanup was held from 8am to 9:30am and the cadets were led by senior army instructor, CSM (Ret.) Richard Basa.

Before the cleanup started, the cadets were given their safety briefing and issued gloves, trash bags, and road guard vests. The battalion’s cadets were then split into two groups. The first group, consisting of HQ and Alpha companies, started on the south side of the beach, and second group, consisting of Bravo, Charlie companies, and staff members, started on the north side of the beach.

C/PVT Denilyn Jacoba said, “I thought of the beach cleanup as a great experience to clean up our community. It’s an experience for the future because it helps our environment and teaches us how to come and work together.”

“The cleanup last Saturday was good. It was a good experience that I was allowed to participate in, and it’s great to see that the younger generations are beautifying the community,” said C/CPL Faith Sablan.

C/CPT Jaron Lifoifoi said, “The beach cleanup was a great experience, especially since it is one of the last community service events I will do before I end my JROTC journey as a senior cadet. It was an amazing way to contribute to my community with the program that taught me so many things throughout high school.”

The cadet leaders monitored and tracked the different types of trash during the cleanup. Plastics and cigarette butts made up the majority of the litter, resulting in filling up approximately nine trash bags. After cleaning the two beach areas, the cadets gathered all the trash bags that needed disposal. The Manta Ray cadets are proud to be able to participate in cleanup events that help beautify our beaches and conserve our environment. They would like to thank all the cadets who showed up bright and early to help make this cleanup a success. (PR)