Our beautiful, bountiful nature

March 16, 1521. A historic date for the Philippines. Magellan arrives in our land. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Spaniards’ stay would not have been possible if they did not find enough in our land to allow them not only to survive but to occupy our country for close to 400 years!

Their food came from our lands and our seas. Their wealth as well – the gold, the other minerals and resources- came from our country.

Before the arrival of the foreign conquerors, our early Filipinos already knew about the beauty and bounty of nature in our midst. 

They had lived and survived in our own country before 1521. There was so much fish in the clear seas. So much produce from the rich, fertile land. The forests gave their share of resources as well. And our people not only survived but lived for centuries, producing their own food, their beautiful, colorful clothes, their proud homes, their dignified culture, all from our beautiful, bountiful nature.

Our early Filipinos did not only have enough, they even had surplus which they used to trade with other countries.

In the mountains, in the forests, and all throughout our pre-colonial land and seas, our early Filipinos not only had beautiful, bountiful nature surrounding them. They had their closely-knit families and communities to sustain them.

The Ifugao rice terraces is a shining example of what real community meant during the time of our proud ancestors: one governed by the spirit of voluntarism and sustainability for the good of all, and one marked by the close dependence, respect, harmony and appreciation between nature and people.

It is also worth noting that there was no mention of poverty at all in early Philippines. One observes the emergence of poverty when foreigners started to occupy our lands and use our resources, not for our own people, but for their own foreign, selfish interests.

Fast forward to 2012.

Moving on close to 500 years after 1521, what is left of that original beautiful, bountiful land and of our people?

Even without statistics, a daily cursory look around will show you so much inequality around,wealth and power for a few privileged but poverty all over – out in the streets, etched in the wrinkled hands and faces of the poor, obvious in the fragile houses, in the tattered , dirty, and oversized garments of the poor.

We had thought this face of poverty was confined only to those in the urban areas. But again, a closer look at our people out in the forests, out in the mountains, the seas, and the farms show the same familiar face of poverty.

What about our beautiful, bountiful nature?

The ads show beautiful blue skies, inviting waters, hectares of sea grasses, life-sustaining fish and marine resources, all God-given. For all Filipinos to partake and behold?

Sadly no. 

Filipinos realize now, like our revolutionary forefathers, that our beautiful, bountiful nature may still be here but its beauty and bounty are already diminished and over-used, regrettably, not for millions of our own people, not for those who survived in harmony with nature, not for our farmers, not for those at sea, not for those in the forests and the mountains.

Sadly, nature’s beauty and bounty continue to be taken away from our millions of our people, from all Filipinos, against our will.

What else can our Filipino people fall back on? All throughout the lives even of generations before them, our people leaned and worked with nature and with God for their survival, for their lives.

Can you stop a while now, look around you, and check if there is still any remnant of beautiful, bountiful nature in your midst? Remember that these natural gifts of beauty and bounty are for us, for our own people, for the Filipinos, first and foremost.

Shall we merely just stand by and allow a few to decide to reclaim God’s beauty and bounty for our people? Shall we allow outsiders and those who do not have our people in their hearts and minds to enjoy our gold and other minerals, our seas, mountains, plains, and forests to the disadvantage of our people and God’s creations?

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