BasurART

What can the country’s noted artists do to help mitigate the effects of environment degradation?

This question comes to mind when more than 70 well known and highly respectable artists agreed to create their individual masterpieces, not only to depict a verdant and tranquil "Shangri-La" for mankind to commune with, but also to raise funds via an art raffle to address the worsening garbage problem in the metropolis.

In cooperation with the Concerned Citizens Against Pollution (COCAP), a non-profit, non-stock organization of individuals coming from multi-sectored groups and the Ayala Museum, National Artists Napoleon Abueva, Arturo Luz and Jerry Navarro; and highly regarded artists like Malang, Ben Cabrera, Romulo Olazo, Pandy Aviado, Danny Dalena, Raul Isidro, Amor Lamarozza, Ramon Orlina, Fidel Sarmiento, Ral Arrogante, Charito Bitanga, Susan Fetalvero-Roces and Joven Ignatio among others, are participating in this endeavor.

Their masterpieces will form part of a more than 70-man art exhibition at the Ayala Museum that runs until June 30. The exhibit is dubbed as "Vision and Reality: The Earth is in our Hands". Raffle tickets are priced at P10,000 and the artworks will be raffled on July 31 to donors who will purchase the corresponding tickets.

Proceeds of this activity will go to COCAP’s campaign for the speedy establishment of Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in every barangay which, in essence, is the mandate of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. The MRFs are supposed to segregate, recycle and compost domestic solid waste which, despite the earlier issuance of RA 9003’s Implementing Rules and Regulations, have not really gotten off the ground yet.

Uncollected garbage piled in the streets of the metropolis and illegal dumpsites operated by private hauling contractors are still the most prevalent practice nowadays, which make the law inutile. MRFs are designed to reduce the volume of residual waste, with developing technologies on the blue print that will result in zero garbage.

COCAP was founded in February 1993 by Ester Perez de Tagle and other environmental advocates to fight the menace of pollution in all its forms in our air, water and soil. The group’s vision is to "have a thriving healthy Philippines, unthreatened by pollution and nurtured by a militant, environmentally-enlightened citizenry".

Through the years, COCAP has been in the forefront of the fight for environment issues. It spearheaded the introduction of unleaded gasoline and the phase out of leaded gasoline, and was the lead technical working group to draft the Clean Air Act, and was appointed one of only two groups to attend the close-door bicameral deliberations on its final ratification.

With the help of the country’s well-known artists, COCAP will collaborate with the government to do a hands-on, massive education campaign on the establishment and operation of MRFs.

Raffle tickets are available at COCAP’s Secretariat at tel. 633-7198. Tickets can also be purchased during the exhibition at the Ayala Museum. Call 812-1191-95 for details.