A government-backed ceremony was held at a leading commercial center in Manila, capital of the Philippines.

The activity was jointly organized by Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Earth Day Network Philippines (EDNP) in a move to cultivate local people's sense of protecting environment. This year's theme is "climate change, we have 10 million solutions."

"The current Earth Day celebration focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. For this, we are calling on all Filipinos to take action for the environment protection and make the move for a real lifestyle change by enlisting in the '10 million movements' campaign for Earth Day 2010 and beyond," DENR Secretary Horacio Ramos said.

The celebration started with a caravan ride of Ms. Earth beauties using clean air vehicles, and followed by presentation of awards to eco-friendly government agencies and private companies. In the Music Hall at the Mall of Asia in Manila, a photo exhibition featuring the Earth Day was held.

An arts contest for kids with disabilities was held simultaneously at the venue. The contest was open to children with age ranging from 9 to 15. The participants brought their own works with recyclable materials such as paper, plastics bottles and styrofoam.

"The activity seeks to enhance the creativity and skills of children while making them aware of the different environmental issues facing the country and the world," Ramos said.

DENR chief Ramos also led his men for the inauguration of the DENR Climate Change Office, the first ever green office in the country.

The celebration of Earth Day started in 1970 in the United States. It was successful in calling the attention of some 20 million Americans to the plight of their environment and challenged them to take actions.

The annual Earth Day falls on Thursday this year.