Netizens call on Cove Manila to stop its ‘balloon drop’ plan for New Year

Social media user @jeffrumps, on the other hand, believed that Cove Manila’s “largest balloon drop” can be translated to “largest plastic trash dump.” (Photo: Edi Libedinsky/Unsplash)

Cove Manila is planning to offer the Filipino people a unique way to welcome 2019, but it seems like the public does not like its idea of embracing the New Year.

Cove Manila, known as the largest indoor beach club and night club in Metro Manila, earlier encouraged everyone to join their “record-breaking” welcome to 2019 on December 31, as they are planning to break the world record for the largest balloon drop.

“When midnight rolls in, The Dome will be showered with 130,000 balloons in an epic New Year’s Eve Countdown Party led by international dance music icon Pete Tong!” Cove Manila said in its announcement through a Facebook post.

On Saturday, December 29, Cove Manila became the talk of the town and even one of the trending topics on Twitter not because people were excited about their indoor balloon drop, but because people were dismayed about their not so nature-friendly plan.

For Twitter user @ceiling_cracks, dropping hundred thousand balloons is a “ridiculous” idea.

“As a nation of islands that relies heavily [on] aquatic resources, to allow this to happen is wrong. These single-use balloons will pollute our already suffering oceans,” he wrote.

Netizen @emmelinemillan, meanwhile, told Cove Manila, “Don’t do it!!

The environment is dying as it is, Why can’t you just use the money to buy these balloons to feed the homeless? There are a lot in the streets and people will applaud you and talk about you in [a] positive way, be productive, not destructive!!”

Social media user @jeffrumps, on the other hand, believed that Cove Manila’s “largest balloon drop” can be translated to the “largest plastic trash dump.”

Netizen @cayteamyl, meanwhile, urged the public not to attend the event as it will give nothing but additional pollution to the environment.

Reina Hispanoamericana title holder, Teresita “Winwyn” Marquez, said she appreciates that Cove Manila just wants to throw a great New Year’s Eve party for everyone but “dropping 130K balloons for a ‘world record’ doesn’t really make sense.”

Also expressing his opposition to the event, netizen Grayson Gil Lidon Yañez commented on Cove Manila’s Facebook announcement, saying that he hopes the latter will reconsider their “choice of material” for their celebration and that he will gladly help them think of “more environmentally-friendly yet still fun ways to usher in the new year.”

Facebook user Jonie Garin also wrote in the comment section, “RIP (Rest in Peace) mother nature. More plastic/rubbers.”

The Climate Reality Project Philippines, a non-profit organization involved in education and advocacy about climate change, then encouraged Cove Manila to just plant 130,000 indigenous trees instead of dropping a huge amount of balloons.

“You may drop 130,000 rose petals or leaves – that would be fun,” the group said.

Aside from calling out Cove Manila, netizens even encouraged the public to sign the online petition against the balloon drop event.

The management of Cove Manila, for its part, thanked everyone for letting them know about their concerns, considering the public’s remarks as “legitimate issues.”

However, it explained that Cove Manila is consistently complying with the Local Government Unit’s (LGU’s) waste disposal guidelines and will be doing the same on their upcoming event.

Cove Manila also stressed that the balloons they are going to use are biodegradable, adding that the balloon drop “has been with solid environmental management protocols in place to minimize, if not eliminate, any possible impact on the environment.”

Furthermore, it also assured the public that they will “recycle” all the balloons and turn them into “something useful.”

“Cove Manila’s much-anticipated balloon drop is not a whimsical effort to just “play” with thousands of balloons,” the management said in its statement.

“It is an earnest effort not only to make a new world record for the country, but also to demonstrate that we can have a lot of fun but still remain responsible,” it added.

Cove Manila’s last record of indoor balloon drop was in 2012, releasing a total of 109,000 balloons.