Be Aware and Share

Talks regarding any social and political issues of the present time are very

common inside the flagship campus of the Philippines. The most recent and most

appealing educational discussion that I have attended so far is the one presented by the

Agham Youth which tackles the environmental state of our country nowadays. It’s a

bright idea for our laboratory instructor/professor to let us have this comprehensive

exchange of ideas instead of pushing us to waste 3 hours of the lab class.

The yellowish slides displayed various matters about the environment from the

mines we proudly export to the international market to its effect in major problems

such as deforestation, food crisis, low-tech imports, marine life destruction, pollution

etc. One point here is that it is the legal cutting which contributes the largest in

transforming the green nature in mountains and other forests into accident prone

areas. Aside from landslides and flash floods that we might encounter, natural habitats

of several endangered endemic species are being destroyed due to an unjust agreement

between the government and mostly foreign mining companies. Critical thinking

should be applied here. We know that our country is rich in human and natural

resources and we have to make use of it but we should make sure that abusive actions

never prevail. Proper tailings and disposal plan and its execution should be checked

and monitored by the DENR or the concerned government unit before and after every

mining operation. Small-scale mining blasts should really be supervised because they

usually don’t have environment-related procedures according to a summit that I have

been into. Lands should be utilized such that we don’t need to import rice from other
countries anymore. Commercialization, privatization and residential land conversions

could be minimized if the core problem (population count) is being resolved. I’ve

known from the discussion that some of the gadgets and electronic devices that we

currently use today are old and just the trashes of people from other country especially

from Japan. It made me worried because the laptop computer we have is Toshiba-

branded and it might contain health hazards. Destruction of marine life and resources

were also highlighted. The government should be alarmed and take a concrete action

on this because it also affects the livelihood of our poor countrymen who depend only

on nearby waters. Dynamite and large fishing for export, chemical spills and the likes

are undoubtedly considered contributors in jeopardizing our water wealth. Last but

definitely not the least that I remembered is the pollution dilemma of the country

especially in air. Smoke-belching, poisonous air from factories, garbage stinks and

improper management etc. should be given attention and necessary solutions must be

conducted because respiratory diseases of Filipinos are normally acquired due to these

air pollutants. Tree-planting is very significant because these can help in cleaning the

air we breathe. Those countries that hasten global warming ought to take initiatives on

addressing this problem mainly caused by them.

The government, the foreign investors and their self-centered contracts are

generally of great part in creating these environmental issues but as always, everyone’s

assistance is vital in producing effective solutions. Just like what we usually hear, we do

not own this planet and we should take pretty good care of it for the next generations.

Discipline should start within oneself and then spread to others. We need not be part of
an active organization if we cannot. Do small things like conserving water and energy,

preferring the use of recyclable bags and dining ins over take outs, and encouraging

friends and family to attend on talks in promoting awareness and campaigns against

harmful human activities. It feels good to know that you are doing something worthy in

your life at least by giving your best in playing the role of a responsible citizen.