ROSE ADA HOCOG, Businesswoman

“My roots are in Laolao Bay,” says Rose Ada Hocog. “As a kid I’d walk barefoot to feel the texture of the sand on my feet. I didn’t worry about stepping on a broken piece of glass or trash. This is fast becoming a thing of the past.”

Hocog’s family owns land at Laolao Bay. To get to the beach, she’d travel along a foot trail that cut through the jungle. “My Uncle Jack built the path; it made me feel like I owned the place,” she says, laughing. Holding pails and buckets, Hocog and her cousins tagged along with her dad and his brothers, carrying their catch to barbeque later. “My mother has a collection of shells that she gathered from Laolao Bay. She still has it today,” she says.

With an increasing number of people using Laolao Bay, Hocog says keeping it clean has become a challenge. “Everyone deserves a chance to experience Laolao Bay like we did,” she says. To make this reality, she asks that each person take action. “When you go to the beach, bring a bag and take your trash with you. We can work together to preserve this special bay.”