Brothers and sisters, if the white sand beach in Manila Bay wasn’t really washed away by the over-pouring rain during these past few days, as insisted by DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda, he was overwhelmed by his emotions that urged him to call scientists and experts from the University of the Philippines as bayaran or sellouts.
In a statement, the UP Institute of Biology mentioned that it’s preferable to plant mangroves in some parts of Manila Bay. We know that schools of fish use mangroves as their breeding ground, which is also important for other animals such as migratory birds and our fellowmen that rely on fishing for their livelihood. Experts added that even if these projects won’t be able to address the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the immense funding used in the controversial dumping of the powdered dolomite in one small part of Manila Bay could have been used for solutions against the pollution in Manila Bay according to science that is effective and sustainable.
Before this, the UP Marine Science Institute explained that dolomite sand won’t help in cleaning Manila Bay. What must be given priority by the government is the improvement of the quality of the water through the use of wastewater treatment plants, cleaning waterways, and prohibiting waste dumping or reclamations surrounding Manila Bay. This is a great task that the government and the communities must do together.
Usec. Antiporda viewed these suggestions from those at UP to be criticisms, and he couldn’t stop calling the experts as sellouts. At first, officials held out that he would not apologize, but in the end in a TV interview, he took back what he said. As people with a high standard of intellect, the experts from UP professionally accepted Usec. Antiporda’s apology.
But let us not allow this issue involving DENR to turn away our attention from the agency’s inadequacy and irresponsibility in fulfilling its duties to preserve our environment.
Greater than the dolomite beach issue in Manila Bay, there are larger projects that would severely devastate nature. If DENR truly cares for our environment, why would it allow the construction of a 2,500-hectare airport in Bulacan stretching through the waters of Manila Bay? Why do they seem to be silent in the building of the Kaliwa Dam placed in the waterways of the natural wildlife park sanctuary in Sierra Madre? Why did it lift the suspension of mining companies halted by the late former DENR secretary Gina Lopez because of their destructive acts against mountains and forests? Why did it allow the acquisition of black sand from the shores of a town in Negros Occidental that can ruin the marine resources in the area?
In the Catholic social teaching Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI said that God bless all with nature, and with its use, we fulfill our duties for the poor, for generations to come, and for all mankind. But if our use of nature leads to abuse, whose interests do we prioritize? If those who can help in preserving nature only listen to those who wish to profit from the destruction of the environment instead of the experts and communities, are they not betraying us by not performing their duties?
Brothers and sisters, like what is said in the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
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