30 years from now. What do you think our world looks like? It its still the same? Or its going to be more worse than ever. I remember what my mother said. During their days, their home town Abuyog Leyte, are full of trees, the river is beautiful and alive. Many people from different barangays goes to “Sawang” or called city. That time their transportation is only small boat. Where the river is flowing in each barangays and the end of that is in Sawang. So, its more likely their terminal. During those days, the store is just a small space in front of their house. Simple life but they are very happy said my mother. Near from Sawang there is sea. My parents used to live beside of the sea. The water is clear, the sand is clean and the water is far from the shore. My grandparents also used to live near near from the river. The river looks so beautiful, the water is also very clean, you can see what’s under the sea, the rocks are so also beautiful and its place every where. That river is so wide, according to my aunty Emily. Then, I suddenly remember when I was 4 yeas old. I don’t know but I still remember t hat moment when we visit to my grandparents house. My mother and I together with my cousin we went to the river to swim. According to my memory the water is very clean and the are so big ans some are not that can be use to rub your dirty skin. That time the river is also wide. Same with my aunty said. Then suddenly the old man, across the river. I asked my mother, “ Ma, sino yan? Nakakatakot.” my mother replied “ Lolo mo yan sa pinsan, papunta yan ngayon sa sawang”.
Those are the story on how our hometown looks like according to my mother and aunty Emily. I rely to that story in a very long time but its stop when we arrive to our hometown.
2016, we decided to take a family vacation. That time my mother is already passed away so basically, it just my father, older brother, younger brother and me together with our Anty Emily and her family. I am very excited despite my mother is not there but thinking about what her story and the way she describe the sawang to what I remember during my 4 year old days. It is so fascinating to think and to see again. Before we finally go to our main barangay we will drop first in the sawang to buy food for our relative where we are going to stay at. When we reach the sawang, I am sad or maybe disappointed from what I’ve seen. I want you to imagine of what I’m going to say. My mother said, full of trees but now full of small building, the trees replace to hotel building, grocery store and that store is like their SM and commercial building. The river is beautiful and very much alive, now the water of the river are brown, many garbage are floating in each side and its smells bad, many boats are there but some are broken it seems that they are no longer use boats in their transportation and gives me dead feels you know what I mean. The reason behind of that is the river is now in very low situation. Boats can no longer across the river because some of barangay is too low and dry. So people now use habal-habal or motorcycle that can ride up to six people. Now the sea near from sawang are no longer clear, the sand is already black and the sea water are also near in the land. Its like the sea gradually eats the up land.
After seeing those we are also done with buying some foods. We are now heading to our relatives. When we got there I saw the river, because before we reach the Barangay Tuy-A, we should ride the boat from the other side.. while passing the river, my aunty suddenly talk and said “alam mo dati ang lawak niyan, yung tubig abot doon oh”. I realized, half of the river is gone. But I’m happy that it is still clear but anty emily also said it is more cleaner than before. It just so sad that the boat we rode are used to bound in sawang but now they using it to across the river side to side. Another, the place where my mother and I swim is no longer exist. So basically, the water is drained because half of the river is gone.
In that moment hit me. I woke up from being innocent from the environment. I am now aware on how environment change day by day. How new generation enjoy their life with a healthy environment? Let’s say how are we going to do to live in presentable in the future of our family. Some times we want to share our experience to new generation. Like how we used to swim in the river, how we used to seat under the tree, how we used to breath in a fresh air, how we used to run in the grass and how we used to enjoy the beauty of the nature? But how a be that possible if we didn’t taking care the environment? I don’t want to happen where our kids will see the tree in the books, see the animals in the picture and see the healthy environment in a throwback commercial, movies and videos. If you understand what I’m trying to say, its now time to change our lifestyle. We can help or nature to preserve little by little. Let’s start here in CVSU our dear university. Don’t place your garbage everywhere because we all know there is no trash can here. If you obey that, and I will tell you, you already helped with that small action of yours. We should change our bad habits towards nature. If you want to maintain our environment, you should change for the better. To end this speech, I will leave you a message from the video I watched that was recommended by Sir Alitagtag.
“If you don’t know how to fix it please stop breaking it.” - Severn Suzuki
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