Happy birthday, Earth!

Last Thurs-day, April 22, planet Earth celebrated its birthday. Thousands gathered at the commencement grounds at the back of Quezon Hall in UP Diliman to take part in the nationwide launch of earth rehabilitation, "Let the Healing Begin," officiated by former Senate President Jovito Salonga. While the affair was in itself multi-sectoral, it nonetheless turned out to be a gathering of earth lovers, spearheaded by artists, writers, dancers, and musicians who all pooled their talents together to impress upon the gathered multitude the clarion need to give one’s due in keeping the earth at all cause and cost.

As Odette Alcantara waxed in her impromptu message, "You cannot be an environmentalist if you don’t have lots of love in your heart." And Thursday’s affair was certainly an outpouring of love for Mother Earth.

Artist Agnes Arellano came out from a self-imposed exile to dedicate a sculptural installation onstage.

Narda Camacho, in some sort of a state of the environment address, reiterated and passionately pleaded to everyone to do their bit for the earth.

In the Philippines alone, there are 17 hot spots needing utmost care and resuscitation. These are the Sierra Madre mountain range stretching from Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Aurora to Quezon, Taal Lake in Batangas, Pansipit River in Batangas, Mt. Isarog in Camarines Sur, Lake Bato in Camarines Sur, the San Vicente-Tagaytay-Roxas forests in Palawan, the northwest peninsula of Panay in Aklan and Antique, the Central Panay Mountains, the Gigantes of Northwestern Panay, Olangui River in Lanao del Norte, Mt. Apo in Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato and Davao del Sur, Mt. Busa in Sarangani and South Cotabato, Mt. Matutum in North Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon, Lake Duminngat in Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte, Mt. Malindang in Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte and Basilan in Mindanao.

There was Grace Odal, dancing like a nymph, to the music of Arwin Tan’s Dalamhati ng Diwata as rendered by the Mandaluyong Children’s Chorus, led by Sebastian Trinidad, dramatizing the pains that the keepers of the earth feel about the massive intrusion and destruction wrought about the earth. Intricately woven in the dance was the hope that the earth, with the participation of everyone, can still be a wonderful world to live in.

BP Kidz furthered the concern with staccato movements to the tune of Joey Ayala’s Magkaugnay, delineating in each turn the viciousness wrought upon the earth. In a fitting tour de force, the young dancers massed together in synchronicity to visually depict the importance of collective force in protecting the earth from further damage.

Children from Sagada were bused in to show that, as children raised with nature – physically strong and organically healthy – they, too, have their stake in protecting the earth.

"We… credit her (Mother Earth) with highest respects just as she has done for us. We have always regarded her as a leading companion in our journey of existence in this planet. We believe that she has a soul and spirit and she is the source of life and livelihood for us. You disturb nature and you disturb us. You take her away from us, and our whole existence ceases," Mayor Tom Kilip of Sagada said.

Chito Macapagal representing Howard Belton, chief executive officer of Unilever and the entire business sector, for his part said, "There’s only one earth, only one future and we believe there’s only one solution – and that is to take responsibility and cooperate towards improvement."

Ceres Doyo represented the media saying, "The womb of Mother Earth are the rivers and the seas, the forests and the fields that bring forth life. We must help heal this womb. We must stop the bleeding. This womb will continue to sustain life and bring forth life. We must be like midwives. We must stop the bleeding and let the healing begin."

Egi Apostol distributed luscious tropical fruits, like duhat and macopa, in red, green and white, from her edible plant garden, to guests and participants.

The artists from the University, led by no less than National Artist for Literature Rio Almario, in a prepared manifesto read by this writer, paid tribute to mother Earth, entitled Paean to Earth:

"Today, as always we remember and celebrate Your words

You do not belong to us, we belong to You

We do not own You, You own us,

Every part of You is sacred to us – all earth, water, air and sky are holy in our memory and in our experience.

We are part of You and You are part of us, the water that flows in the sea and the river is the blood of our ancestors

Their sparkle and murmur speak to us of events in the life of our people

The air shares its spirit with all life, the wind that gives our first breath also receives our last sigh

The web of life never ceases. All things are strands of that web

And sangkatauhan is only a single strand there.

What we do to the web we do to ourselves."

UP President Francisco Nemenzo said UP shares the commitment of repairing the damage caused to the environment by human greed and human folly, "We want to show the public that we in the University of the Philippines know how to take care of nature and how to protect the environment."

UP Diliman Chancellor Emerlinda R. Román said, taking care of the campus’ environment is not only left on the hands of workers and gardeners, but is actually a responsibility of everyone – administrators, officials, faculty, students and residents.

"Ang isang malinis, maaliwalas at magandang kapaligiran ay isang mahalagang sangkap di lamang para sa kalusugan ng katawan, ito rin ay kailangan para sa pagpapayaman ng kaisipang intelektuwal dito sa Unibersidad," the Chancellor said.

Senator Jovito Salonga made a stirring reminder that, "The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth, he has given to man… We are merely stewards of the earth and everything in it… Bilang katiwala ng Panginoon, ating tungkulin at pananagutan na alagaan at pagyamanin ang lupa, ang tubig at dagat, punongkahoy at lahat ng ipinagkatiwala sa ating mga Pilipino ng Makapangyarihan at Mapagpalang Diyos."

By early evening, there was instantaneous revelry. Music was reverberating all over the place. Members of the Chakra led the audience into improvisational steps while earth rhythms were played alternately by the Pinikpikan Band, the Makiling Ensemble, and the Kontra GaPi under Edru Abraham.

Earth Day 2004 was jointly sponsored by the University of the Philippines, the Earth Day Network Philippines and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It was admittedly a fun-filled celebration, with everyone realizing that even the littlest act of restoring, preserving and conserving Nature can go a long way in recapturing the old glory of our country as the Pearl of the Orient Seas..

Hopefully, by April 22, 2005, our planet Earth will be smiling upon us for a task well done.

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For comments, send e-mail to ruben_david.defeo@up.edu.ph.