Year 2020 – clear vision!

Let’s get this year rolling and start with a clean slate. Year 2020 should imply a clear vision. After all the challenges in the past year, we should clear our mind, heart and spirit in order to move forward. Many of us have fallen short of important virtues – patience, kindness, humility, selflesness, responsibility, integrity, honesty and commitment. In our own quest in life may it be as a parent, a student, an employee, a boss or a public servant – we all should aim to become better.

We all need to do our part in making our world a better place. The past year has shown us many images beyond our imagination. Suicides, murders, homicide, manslaughter, rape, theft/ corruption, etc. Our leaders have pushed us to our limits by the things they do and say. Our government has tested our patience and impatience by not giving us the right and proper human services we deserve. We continue to degrade our environment and as we speak forest fires continue to hit our ecosystems due to human craziness, foolishness and stupidity.

We are clearly leaving a trail of human misery all around us and if we don’t get our act together, we will continue to suffer. Government must lead the people to a more civilized society with the proper education to refine our ways and lift up our spirit and develop a better value system. Government must work for the people.

Each of us have a role to play to create a balance in our communities. Without having a clear vision of our own functions and responsiblities, confusion, chaos -- anarchy will continue. Parents should give more time for their children who need love and understanding. Students must realize the importance of getting a good education and how burning the midnight oil to understand facts and solve problems will help them function as better citizens in the future. The workforce must be more committed to their jobs as it gets the country going. Public servants/ government workers should continue to develop reforms to better their systems and services for the people.

When everyone works as a community with a clear vision and a common goal – then we achieve a well-balanced society. A good microcosm of community working toward a common goal is the province of Bohol. I’m not talking about politics this time. I’m talking about the people, the community who work together for a comon goal. From the airport or seaports you notice how dedicated the workers are. They all follow the rules of efficiency. The areas are well maintained, services are efficient and the people, the local folk are honest. Tourists are happy because they feel safe. All tourists’ fees seem to be standard. You won’t get the feeling of being ripped off. As you go around the towns, you can easily appreciate the beauty of the churches, the rivers, beaches and forests – with zero waste. In tourist sites like the Loboc River Cruise, you don’t actually feel the huge influx of tourists because there are good and efficient systems in place. The scenic zipline that takes you across the Loboc river-forest and the jumpy ride of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) through the Chocolate Hills – all seemingly dangerous feats but with the proper protocols and strict enforcement of rules, tourists feel very safe.

What is my point? We can make things work only if we “will” it to work. The Boholanos have a clear vision. They are passing international standards because of the mindset each member of society has. Yes, they continue to thrive because they have a goal. They want to live and be happy as a people. They want to continue to give good service in order to sustain themselves in their beloved province. They know that they need to protect their environment, improve their work and develop new trends to attract more tourists. This type of mindset is rare in our country. Unfortunately, we have many beautiful provinces and can offer many attractions not to mention develop many products but the people are lazy, uneducated and have no will to improve things. In the cities, barangay officials cannot even follow international standards of road safety to avoid hazards. Yes, our streets and highways continue to be the #1 dangerous zones. Just look around and observe. City mayors should give all barangay captains a 101 class in public service in order to function well; meeting national and international standards. 

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Talking about 20/20 vision. A very strong message about how we are as a people was in the news these past few days. The National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) estimated that at least 65,000 people who visited Rizal Park left tons of garbage in the area. Single-use plastics, bottles, boxes, and leftover food were thrown on the park grounds. Why can’t we properly throw our trash in the bins? There were different bins for waste segregation but no one seemed to follow it.

The city government of Manila collected 32 trucks of garbage from vendors in Divisoria. Che Borromeo, head of the Manila Task Force Cleanup said they hauled 380 tons of garbage – equivalent to 35 trucks during the cleanup operation conducted along Recto Avenue from Abad Santos to Asuncion streets. DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said that based on their estimates, the volume of garbage collected from Rizal Park after the New Year celebration was less than the 50 metric tons (MT) collected during the Christmas festivities. Believe it or not, this volume has already improved from trash collected in previous years reaching over 100 MT. In 2014 the DENR estimated 26 truckloads of garbage equivalent to 156 MT, in Manila alone after the New Year celebration.

Local government units (or LGUs) should be consistent and stricter with their waste segregation policies. It is suggested that stiffer penalties be imposed by the LGUs for non-segregation of solid waste. DENR thinks that a P1,000 fine would do and community service should be imposed for those who cannot pay. Under Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act, the law imposes fines of P1,000 for non-segregation of waste and from P300 to P1,000 for littering.

As population increases and living standards are enhanced the country generates more solid waste. According to a report by the Senate Economic Planning Office (SEPO), the country’s waste generation steadily increased from 37,427.46 tons per day in 2012 to 40,087.45 tons in 2016. It is said that solid wastes produced by Philippine cities are expected to increase by 165 percent to 77,776 tons by 2025.

Who produces the most amount of solid waste? These are the residential areas that are producing 57 percent of solid waste, while wastes from commercial establishments, institutional sources, and industrial or manufacturing sector accounted for 27 percent, 12 percent, and 4 percent of the total waste generated, respectively. This means that proper waste segregation should start from home. Families must be made aware of the policies on waste segregation and must be penalized when caught violating such.

John Wessley in a 1778 sermon said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” From the moment we were born we were already conditioned to be clean. We must begin with our physical cleanliness, continue on with a mental cleansing and down to the core of our human spirit. Let’s put some clarity of vision in year 2020.