Of his approach to the Philippines, Sir John Bowring wrote in 1859: ”The China Seas are … the most tempestuous in the world, and a voyage to Manila is frequently a disagreeable one … on the fifth day we sighted the light house at the entrance of the magnificent harbor of Manila … There began the attentions which were associated with the whole of our visit to these beautiful regions.” Life in those days revolved around the Pasig River. On one side rested the central business district of the day, Binondo. On the other rested the political and social power in Intramuros. In those days, trade was the major industry in the islands; an industry the Pasig factored prominently.
Back on December 22, 1992 the United Nations General Assembly declared every March 22 World Water Day. It was their attempt to promote awareness of water conservation and the importance of preservation. For Filipinos, we have a very visual reminder of what can happen when our precious water resources are polluted and abused. We do not even have to go to the 19th century for reminders of the forgotten beauty of the Pasig.
Filipinos have long had awareness in the country of the importance of preserving our water resources. The problem has been in protection and implementation, especially on the side of our political leaders. The government passed Republic Act 9729, or the Climate Change Act of 2009, on October 23, 2009. It established the Climate Change Commission to help infuse climate change and environmental awareness into government policies. The vice chairperson is Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez (the chairperson is the President). Secretary Alvarez is also the Executive Director of the Climate Change Office. We applaud any and all efforts to promote environmental awareness and biodiversity preservation in the country. We hope that something fruitful and beneficial to the Philippines and the Filipinos will come from their efforts.
Our biodiversity remains one of the most threatened in the world. Pollution of our rivers and lakes, illegal logging, overfishing, and the misuse of our lands are just some of the causes of our environmental problems. The problem of mitigating carbon dioxide production is an international issue; one that needs to be addressed through international cooperation. Domestically, there are many things we are doing to harm our environment all on our own. They must be addressed.
Clean Water and Energy Week (created by Presidential Proclamation 2023 and was March 22-28) directed government offices and government corporations to hold activities in observance of this issue. Due to the Week occurring during the Lenten season, Secretary Alvarez has called for fasting and austerity measures by some sectors of society. We appreciate this idea. We hope that our political leaders will lead the way and provide the example by following his suggestion, even after the Lenten season is over.
The Commission held a Regional Summit on Forest Protection earlier this week in Tuguegarao (organized by Bishop Ramon Villena with the Regional Development Council) and also the launching of Provincial Water Awareness Month. Also, a bio-cultural diversity park will be launched in Clark, Pampanga to honor being the ASEAN Culture capital. In efforts to preserve our environment, it is our politicians and government officials who must lead the way through action and example, not just in words.
Sir Bowring took a trip up the Pasig to Laguna, of his return he wrote: “Greatly gratified with all we had seen, we again embarked and cross the Laguna to Pasig. Descending by that charming river, we reached Manila in the afternoon.”