My Advocacy

adapted from Edge

It was in our environmental science class last year did I learned of amazing facts and figures of the richness and vastness of Philippine biodiversity, described as a ”mega diversity”. I was really egoistic at first to realize those wonders, but to my dismay, I also came to know the gruesome state of our environment at present.
This dilemma gained me serious amount of concern and interest, though initially it was only a petty reaction, but nonetheless, I’ve already inculcated it in my cerebrum. Besides, there was that inclination and discernment that provoked me to act or impart something as regards to Mother Nature.
The succeeding months in the university were as conducive of information for me as I started attending seminars and fora especially on the environment. Even the net has no escape for I always find time browsing the pages of nature-friendly sites and NGO’s to be updated. At one occasion, an authority in the academe was speaking on “Re-thinking Sustainable Development” as topic. Towards the end, a question was raised on why there was a need to re-think. To my mind, it also posed a big question mark as it implied much on one’s intellectual preference and position. The speaker responded that inspite of the efforts from concerned entities; the government really has the take on the matter particularly in policy making and enforcement, and that we would always undergo rethinking if the government won’t opt to address such concern.
Given this scenario, one might ask on what the government is standing for, or are they simply shortsighted at that? While for most of us, are we that helpless that we can’t do some initiatives for her while taking part in the nation’s development. Though culturally, it’s a fact that many still submit to the premise of leadership by example, that without the leader acting, the members follow too. And if this is so, then I think we better find extra- territory somewhere else.
Meanwhile, it is saddening to note that for centuries now, many countries succumbed to the vagueness of development which is exclusively focused at economic progress. I’m neither a neo-traditionalist nor anti- development per se, as long as we drive sideways in two-way traffic. We all know that every economy capitalizes on natural resources, and so it is morally upright for development initiatives to meet halfway with environmental protection. Sustainable development that is! Others may contend that humans have the dominion over the physical environment and other life forms, allowing them to introduce modification and subsequently exploiting it. Still, it is no good precedent if we borrow something and not returning it back. Remember the legend of Maria Makiling!
As one song goes,” ’di na masama ang pag-unlad dahil malayo-layo na rin ang ating narating”. Yes, we might have moved a step higher, but how far Mother Earth can go? How long could she survive?
This is now the point of conflict, and the bottom line of these all lies in balancing of interest off our policy makers. This is not a chicken and egg dilemma on which comes first, rather a question of priorities on what not and what should be in government initiatives, and they must always secure a room for Mother Nature: that in development efforts, she will be treated considerately and fairly as one sustains the other . We might have a collection of laws devoted to the environment but delinquencies in the concerned agencies and weak enforcement allows minimal bite to trespassers.
And so I believe that there is really a need for redirection of the government’s environmental agenda through comprehensive implementation and monitoring, and doing so needs some amount of political will and commitment. While for us, the primary beneficiaries, responsible consumption and cleaner production isn’t really a hard task to do even in our own small ways.
This is my advocacy and I’m optimistic that in one way or another I could take part in securing the future of the next generation, now. I’m looking forward to minor in environmental science next semester and hopefully land on a job in the same sector three years from now.
*Turn Write.