THE rising of the sun is almost always unnoticed. As marine lives travail underwater and find abode in coral reefs, very little amount of human effort seems to care.
The limitless volume of clean air is accessible everyday, but daily human practices unmindfully lead to deadly pollution. This, perhaps, is too elementary to think about, but the consequences lying ahead are much too costly.
When human ways have forgotten the significance of Mother Nature, what better way is there to pay tribute to the wondrous balance of our ecosystem?
GMA-7’s Public Affairs brings its latest offering geared towards environmental and animal protection. Yes, this is a big production effort to acknowledge what is often looked over, and to highlight the social significance of protecting and embracing the environment.
Born to be Wild is another innovation in GMA’s late-night programming as it aims to bring environmental concerns closer to home through real encounters in the wild plus gripping presentations of environmental issues. Lined up for this one-of-a-kind expedition are exciting journeys to discover new and endemic species.
Two new Kapuso hosts escort televiewers to this exciting and wildly adventurous weekly undertaking.
As the man who has paid homage to the world’s highest peak, Everest summiteer Romi Garduce has more to defy than vertical limits.
He is a dive master and is constantly involved in various ecological causes. On weekends, he goes diving to reconstruct coral reefs in the different parts of the country. He is extremely passionate about environmental issues, including the protection of critically endangered species. He now takes his cause to his homeland and desires that many other Filipinos countrywide will get themselves involved.
His partner in safeguarding the environmental is popular veterinarian, Dr. Ferdinand Recio.
A certified lover of animals, Doc Ferdz runs his own veterinary clinic and is a proud owner of five pets, including Labradors, Maltese dogs and a Persian cat.
With seven years of veterinary practice and a specialization in animal surgery under his belt, Doc Ferdz charges into the wilderness to treat ailing wildlife. His dream is to encounter the lions in Africa, and to meet wild horses. But Born to be Wild is his first trip around the country to rescue animals in distress.
The two meet up for the very first time during a scheduled pictorial one afternoon of Wednesday. Garduce was in his very homey and relaxed nature. He was too plain looking in polo shirt and “maong” pants, but upon personal encounter with this deadly scientific thirty-something man, one can hold no reason not to admire him.
Without plans for marriage in the foreseeable future, Garduce regards the environment as his very “girlfriend.”
“The environment is like a girlfriend. As in a serious relationship, you would want it to last longer. You wouldn’t want a disrupted relationship, and you wouldn’t want her to get back at you after the hurting stage. That’s why we need to care for it. (Ang kalikasan parang girlfriend ‘yan e. Syempre gusto mong magtagal ang relasyon. Ayaw mo na nag-aaway kayo at lalong ayaw mo na balikan ka n’ya. Kaya kailangan alagaan natin ‘to).”
Recio, meanwhile, is all youthful and a sure bearer of typical boy-next-door good looks. He thinks things through before mouthing words.
In the interview, he shares that he has a heart growing for pets. What disturbs him is the lack of awareness and education suffered by most Filipinos, who forget that animals also carry value.
“I see the importance of all lives. Be it an animal or a plant (Hayop man ‘yan, halaman man ‘yan), there’s a reason why they are there. And we should give importance to all who give balance to our ecosystem,” Recio shares.
One need not wonder how they fit into GMA’s Born to be Wild.
Garduce and Recio are themselves environment-and-animal-enthusiasts. Prior to having hosting stints on TV, both already had a good sense of experience and exposure with nature and wildlife.
They have the leisure and pleasure of first-hand encounters with the environment, and this is something others can only enjoy vicariously. Since this is their initial exposure on national TV as full-pledged hosts, they were admittedly tensed during the initial taping days. But they are nonetheless coached by such on-cam heavyweights as Arnold Clavio and Maki Pulido.
With Born to be Wild, they want to create action beyond awareness, encourage active involvement from a wide share of audiences – all social classes included. They want to highlight what is often neglected, and nurture an all-embracing appreciation for nature.
When asked, to their estimate, how seriously wounded is the Philippine environment, both answered that the “woundedness” is in the rank of eight, in a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the worst.
“Marine resources are almost depleted, old grown forests are reduced to 10%, and our land bombers are almost gone. Even the indigenous people who once took care of the environment are slowly fading out.” (Medyo delikado, medyo malala, parang old grown forests, nasa 10% na lang tayo, marine reserves natin highly depleted na, of course mga land bombers natin halos nawala na. Kahit yung mga indigenous people natin na nagpoprotect ng mountains and forests, nawawala na rin ‘yan, unti-unting nauubos,”) Garduce says.
But still there is hope left, they say. The problem lies with the multi-faceted social and economic quandary this country faces which takes the front seat before the environmental issues. Garduce says that the economic model today does not encourage sustainability.
“We are prone to using the resources without so much thought on the aftermath of our continued consumption. While the elite circle continues to dominate the monetary market, the problem of poverty and inequality remains unsolved. With all these issues aside, we tend to overlook our over usage of our natural resources.” (Nandyan yung economic model natin na hindi sustainable eh…so parang sige payamanin natin yung mga tao, mga elite lang naman, so yung bansa in general, the problem is kulang naman yung pambalanse. Pano mo gagawing sustainable yung economic model mo?), Garduce says.
All these litanies and despair are addressed the same way with a pack of hope still lingering elsewhere. Garduce and Recio took the challenge to stand at the frontline of Born to be Wild because the two believe in what the show has to say.
For them, Mother Earth may not send due notice, but men’s ecological debt is exponentially increasing due to unstoppable consumption. In the most immediate time, no impact of environmental degradation can be felt especially if the thought over consumption remains on the level of rhetoric.
It must be extremely difficult to undo or reverse the present condition of the environment and wildlife. The continued persistence of the status quo would unquestionably bring us to the brink of disaster. While most people are so heavily occupied with financial ambitions, there belies an emotional and impersonal setback.
If one thinks that the environment and economy are so loosely related, these two hosts underscore how deeply related is one with the other. Garduce and Recio share that the downfall of many civilizations in history was not mainly due to economic reasons but rather environmental.
On a personal note, the two have experienced intimacy with environment and animals.
Garduce joined the UP Mountaineering group in 1991 and since then, he had witnessed for himself the beauty of the mountains, at the same time, the damage done by uncontrollable kaingin. He had also seen the wonderful display of fishes in marine sanctuaries as well as threats to marine life like coral bleaching. From these encounters, he gets to develop his personal take on environmental matters and his being disturbed is what moves him to action.
For Recio, he draws unexplainable goodness from his pets. He says that if one only gives pets a fraction of a whole, in return the pets give their all. When he goes home to Laguna, the first to greet him are his dogs.
Recio grew up in an animal-loving household. As a child, he was tasked by his parents to feed the livestock. His upbringing groomed him to be the responsible man that he is. “I personally believe that you can teach responsibility to children if you give them something to take care of, like pets, because they will know there are other lives to care for. That holds true for me,” he shares.
So much is really expected from Born to be Wild. The fusion of two driven young men, the worth-chronicling trips to nature’s abyss, the action-packed crime prevention adventure—all these give more reasons to stay behind at night and catch another no-nonsense offering from GMA Public Affairs.
Beyond the show, both Garduce and Recio vow to continue doing what they have been used to. Showbiz should not be far behind for the two, but they rather take the human form of serious advocacies for ecological conservation. Garduce campaigns for eco-friendly projects and Recio pursues his veterinary practice.
As the journey formally began yesterday, November 28, expect more moving and thrilling adventures in the weeks to come. This is one expedition exclusive for those born to be wild.