FERNANDEZ, JOHN PEARL A.

Essay: How does the increase in the influx of tourists here in Iligan City during holiday season
and/or Diyandi Festival affect the ecosystem of the city?

Festivals and other holiday seasons are occasions to celebrate, rejoice and commemorate saints, harvest,
gods and goddesses, independence, Christmas, New Year's, anniversaries, All Souls Day, and many other
things. Hence, Iligan City is a place where people hold joyous and grandiose events simply to
commemorate a special occasion.
With such a large population, celebrations are greatly appreciated when people come together to celebrate.
The influx of tourists in Iligan City, on the other hand, contributes to the negative effects of the city's natural
ecosystem. Diyandi festival is a celebration to honour and promote cultural identity as well as the patron
saint of the city. Various activities were planned and carried out during the month-long celebration. The
celebration would also be incomplete without a "Mugna," or carnival in the native language.
Although festivals are an important part of our culture and bring happiness and joy into our lives, they also
cause significant environmental damage. Every festival and celebration during holiday season is celebrated
in its own unique way and has some or all of its own traditions. These modes of celebration are wreaking
havoc on our natural ecosystem. Pollutant levels in the environment continue to rise year after year.
Festivities and holiday seasons have an impact on all aspects of nature. During festival and holiday
seasons, various types of pollution occur, including air, water, land and noise pollution. During festivals and
special occasions, we basically pollute every aspect of the environment.
Air pollution: Because people enjoy celebrating important events with bright colours, we Filipinos have
fireworks that light up the sky all night long, causing air pollution and even with the fire crackers. The next
day after the celebration, we could see that the event site was clogged and suffocated with smog.
Automobiles also contribute to air pollution because relatives, friends and tourists travel to be present at
the celebration as is customary. The smoke from incombustible cars contributes to the air pollution.
Water pollution: Special season holidays are important to families and for tourists, and they tend to be
celebrated at the beach, swimming pools, or majestic waterfalls. As a result, garbage accumulation within
the premises contributes to the problem of water pollution. When millions of pieces of garbage accumulate
in bodies of water, they become filthy and unappealing to look at.
Land Pollution: Many events make use of green field sites that are temporarily transformed into bustling
hubs of activity. Wildlife is primarily impacted by the area's disruption and destruction. Areas without proper
urinals for the celebration, and people resort to simply peeing whenever they are comfortable, causing the
areas to stink and have an unpleasant odour. Garbage such as plastic made products are major contributor
to this problem because people tend to buy things and throw them away after being used. If millions of tons
of garbage are collected and dumped at the site, it will take millions of years for the garbage to decompose
leading to more serious problems.
Noise pollution is caused by concerts, large crowds with loud speakers during holidays or festivals, and
various processions during celebrations. The influx of tourists also contributes to an increase in noise levels
in the area. Though this may not be noticeable because we were celebrating however it is detrimental and
damaging to our environment and to its people.
Festivals and other seasonal holidays or celebrations are enjoyable activities. These celebrations bring us
together and give the people sovereignty, but they also cause a lot of harm and pollution to the environment.
It is our responsibility as stewards of this motherland to preserve and protect our mother nature while
maintaining the balance of our ecosystems. We can promote a greener way of celebrating special
occasions or festivities so that our environment is not completely harmed. It will not be easy to completely
transition from what we had, but it only takes one step to start a change.