Was it just a week ago that we trooped to the polling places, patiently waited for hours and endured the oppressive heat to participate in the process of choosing candidates whom we hope are deserving of our trust, at least for the next three years?
The mentality that humans rule the world is our downfall. The signs of an overstressed planetary system are obvious, even to those without a scientific background. The people with the least carbon footprint, ironically the first suffering victims of environmental degradation and calamities, like the indigenous peoples, the farmers and the fisherfolk, know the world is no longer what their forebears had, where the future of the generations thereafter was always uppermost in their day-to-day decisions.
The journey of Jireh Bautista (Cebu Daily News/April 4) tugs at the heart. His father is a shoemaker and his mother, a homemaker. The parents of five children had difficulty making ends meet, more so funding their kids’ education. The family at times learned to be happy having rice and soy sauce for their meals. The kids regularly walked to school. Jireh had to set aside P10 a day to use the internet for his schoolwork. Yet, he managed to graduate as Class 2013’s valedictorian from Cebu City National Science High School. Despite the daunting challenges, against all the odds, he emerged victorious.
Mysore, India – The Infosys Mysore Development Center, which is the biggest training center in the world, hosts assorted species of birds such as myna, red-vented bulbul, pigeon, crow, robin, black drongo, owl, raptors, parakeet, and so many others. Their bird calls add to the serenity one feels living on campus. It is certainly not sheer coincidence or a stroke of luck that avian friends thrive at Infosys. The Center has thousands of native species of trees and wildflowers in hundreds of acres of sprawling ground with waterways that are so essential for the survival of different life forms.
March is celebrated as Women’s Month in recognition of their undeniably important role in ensuring a world that is safe, healthy and productive. Shining examples are the likes of the late 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, who led the Green Belt movement in restoring forest ecosystems by planting millions of trees; the world famous Dr. Jane Goodall known for her impassioned advocacy for fair treatment of animals, whose trail-blazing study of the chimpanzees in Gombe Forest made humans reassess our relationship with wildlife, and who still devotes 300 days of each year to reach out to the world especially the children to instill love for life’s elements; and Rachel Carson whose ground-breaking book “Silent Spring” unmasked the devastating effects of chemical pesticides and caused the US government to ban dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or DDT.
Their father, a school teacher, required him and his siblings to gather regularly the seeds in the town plaza, and plant them. Back then, trees were in abundance. Mother Nature was protected. Their young minds could not make heads or tails of the practice.
Two days ago, Feb. 2, we celebrated the World Wetlands Day. As defined by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, known as the Ramsar Convention, wetlands are “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.”
If you have never been to your area’s wasteland, you are missing a lot. Tremendous life lessons are yours for the picking; that is, if you are open to being weaned and to let go of the unsustainable consumerism lifestyle that our society has been thrust into. Yes, epiphany, defined as “an experience of sudden and striking realization” (Wikipedia), can occur in the filthiest places on earth and humanity’s shameful invention—our garbage dumps.
With young people around, expect wit, creativity, spontaneity, laughter, and boundless energy in the air. Such was the atmosphere during last Saturday’s edition of dyRC’s “Hagit sa Kinaiyahan” program which tackled education, environmental protection and the youth. It is undoubtedly a privilege to have the opportunity to share life’s experience and learning with our vibrant youth.
An empowering and peaceful new year to everyone! The year 2013 is another crucial time for decision-making, especially at the local and national levels, it being an election year. May our people learn from the lessons of the past and choose leaders whom we deserve—selfless, prioritize the people’s welfare and our planet’s, open to the ideas of the constituents and ethical.
The ongoing drama at the Provincial Capitol unfolded when the defiant Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, true to form, stuck to her guts and disregarded the suspension order from the Office of the President.
It was hot and humid when we reached Goa, after spending long hours at the Bangalore airport where our flight was rerouted. But the extraordinary Goan experience that my traveling companion and one of the country’s exemplary lawyers, Ipat Luna, and I experienced last week, was definitely worth the wait.
By sheer serendipity, I was in Metro Manila last week and took advantage of the opportunity to attend the congressional hearing conducted by the natural resources committee on reclamation projects including a P14-billion one planned on a 635.14-hectare portion of the historic Manila Bay.
