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Goodbye LaBoracay: La Union offers fresh take on 'green' beach parties

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Jay Dee Manaloto, ABS-CBN News

<div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/1-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/2-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/3-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/4-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/5-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/6-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/7-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/8-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/9-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/10-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/11-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/12-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/13-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/14-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/15-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/04/30/16-labor-union-gc.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Scenes during the One Paradise shore cleanup and benefit gig at #LaborUnion2018 held in San Juan, La Union on April 28. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div></div></div><p>SAN JUAN, La Union -- The surfing town of San Juan, La Union, which has been romanticized in indie movies like &quot;I&#x27;m Drunk I Love You&quot; and &quot;Flotsam,&quot; has hosted numerous beach parties in the past, but this year’s Labor Union Summer Festival could be its biggest yet.</p><p>With the temporary closure of Boracay -- and with it, the island&#x27;s popular &quot;LaBoracay&quot; parties -- hundreds poured onto San Juan’s shores over the weekend as tourists and locals celebrated the Labor Day weekend.</p><p>Local artists Matteo Guidicelli, Carlo Aquino, Kiana Valenciano, Kjwan Band, 6cycle Mind were just some of the artists who performed at the One Paradise stage set by One Music PH last Saturday. </p><p>Now on its fourth year, Labor Union is being promoted as a &quot;more environmentalist&quot; take on beach festivals.</p><p>No smoking signs were scattered throughout the beach, which was a strictly non-smoking and protected area, with resort owners setting up dedicated zones for smokers.</p><p>The organizers and performers reminded the crowd to be aware of their trash, although beer bottles, plastic containers and paper cups were still carelessly thrown on the sand as the party continued.</p><p>“It is possible for one person to be a reveler and be responsible with their surroundings,” Kapamilya star Matteo Guidicelli told the audience. “I’ve seen a lot of partygoers wake up the next day, 6 in the morning and clean up the roads and sweep the streets.”</p><p>“You can party all you want, pero &#x27;yung trash mo basta mo na lang itatapon diyan, Huwag naman gano’n,” former child star Carlo Aquino reiterated. </p><p>Travelers like Carissa, who visit San Juan regularly, showed their dismay over the &quot;corruption&quot; of the beachfront. “When you wake up in the morning, you see a lot of beer bottles. It’s full of junk already,” she said.</p><p>“It’s such a waste. This was a good beach before. Too many people come here already, it’s ruining the nature,” her friend Cheska added.</p><p>There were some like Christine Castañeda and her friends who swept through hundreds of people, bringing their sacks to pick up trash while the party was ongoing. “We just felt like doing it. For the nature,” Castañeda explained.</p><p>On Saturday morning, One Music PH, ABS-CBN Lifestyle, Bantay Kalikasan, and the San Juan Restaurant and Hotel Association hosted a beach clean-up activity. Participants were able to fill up more than 10 sacks of discarded plastic and glass bottles.</p><p>The clean-up was also aimed at saving the turtles (pawikan) which are found in this town.</p><p>Boracay is currently on a 6-month closure due to severe pollution caused by tourism and business activities in the island. </p><p>While some party-goers have tabbed La Union as the next Boracay, organizers of Labor Union 2018 are hoping that through advocacies and proper education, the province&#x27;s beach events do not end up like its more popular Boracay predecessor.</p><p>“For me, Labor Union is simpler. People here are more disciplined,” noted Dan, a regular attendee of LaBoracay. </p><p>“If they would continue to cater to different genres of music, and not mainly electronic dance music, it could be better than LaBoracay.”</p>

<p>With the temporary closure of Boracay -- and with it, the island's popular "LaBoracay" parties -- hundreds poured onto San Juan, La Union’s shores over the weekend as tourists and locals celebrated the Labor Day weekend.</p>

With the temporary closure of Boracay -- and with it, the island's popular "LaBoracay" parties -- hundreds poured onto San Juan, La Union’s shores over the weekend as tourists and locals celebrated the Labor Day weekend.

Goodbye LaBoracay: La Union offers fresh take on 'green' beach parties

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Goodbye LaBoracay: La Union offers fresh take on 'green' beach parties

Jay Dee Manaloto,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 30, 2018 04:38 PM PHT

|

Updated April 30, 2018 05:23 PM PHT

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La Union

Labor Union

LaBoracay

San Juan

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