For the environment

Clean-up stories carried by local, national and international papers reminded me that the month of September is for the environment.

Honestly, I missed many local coastal or underwater clean-up activities since I came home in 2006. In Jeddah, from 1996-2006, our group the Filipino Scuba Divers Association (FSDA) organized all sorts of coastal or underwater clean-up projects.

FSDA is an association of Filipino scuba divers with more than 150 members (while still active) spread all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Most of the members were from Jeddah but when we call for volunteers, more than a truckload would rendezvous with us.

Our favorite clean-up site is Jeddah’s south corniche. A corniche is a concrete pavement built along a coast. In the case of Jeddah, it follows the coastline of the Red Sea and stretches more than 100 kilometers – simply the longest in the world.

We would camp out at a selected spot along the corniche, on a Thursday evening, then fish, cook, eat and enjoy the evening. The next day, we clean like crazy. By noon, we had collected tons of garbage.

We usually organize a follow-up activity, a week after. We go boat diving primarily to clean offshore. I still remember diving in the 5-Mile Reef as a new Open Water diver. My buddy was an experienced Divemaster who made sure that I was comfortable underwater – trying to breathe and swim while filling my sack with garbage!

Before the clean-up activities, we conduct environmental awareness lectures in schools with predominantly Filipino students like the Philippine International School in Jeddah (IPSJ) and Al-Hekma International School. Students from these schools were a great help.

Elmer Fuentes, our president then, zealously led us in all these activities timed to coincide with the world annual coastal clean-up day on September 15. A few years before I left Jeddah, I reported for ABS-CBN’s Balitang Middle East, that Elmer received an award from PADI for his efforts.

I browse the net for news from the Middle East every now and then. The other day, I found out that OFWs from Jeddah and Riyadh organized a clean-up activity in Batha, in Riyadh. I’m glad they’re still doing it!

Those who aren’t familiar with the place, let me explain. Batha is a district in Riyadh known as the watering hole of Filipinos. There you could find establishments such as Manila Plaza and Pinoy Supermarket, selling silver, electronics, jewelry, clothes, etc. In Jeddah, it’s Balad. Although a bit smaller than Batha, you could find goods there for as low as P12 in stores ingeniously named “Divisoria,” “Baclaran,” or “Makati.”

I thought I finally had my chance to do something for the environment here at home when I received an e-mail from the marketing department of Ayala Malls inviting me to run in the Eco-Dash tomorrow.

But I have a problem!

There’s the Press Freedom Run that fires off at the same time with the Eco-Dash! I want to join but then I couldn’t turn my back on my colleagues. Although I couldn’t run, I’d like to invite other runners to support this run for the environment.

ABS-CBN’s Haide Acuña, one of my seatmates in last Saturday’s running clinic organized by CERC for the Cebu Marathon, offered a suggestion. She said I could start with the Press Freedom Run and then cross over to the Eco-Dash! I gave it a thought but then I’ve made up my mind. No, I’d better stick to one!

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By the way, McEnroe won over Nastase in the wildest US Open semifinals of 1979. The score was 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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