In line with the ASEAN marine protected area management project being implemented by the Unitec Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Philippines is recommending 5 new sites for inclusion in said project.

The 5 new sites from the Philippines include the Tubataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), the Ticao-Burias Pass Protected Seascape (TBPPS), Agoo-Damortis Protected Landscape (AD-PLS), Bani-Bolinao-Burgos-Infanta-Dasol-Agno MPAN (MPA Network), and Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (TTWS).

The list was finalized after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources stakeholders of the project Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) in ASEAN or (ENMAPS), before submitting the consolidated data for funding by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in March 2023.
Accordingly, the marine protected area (MPA) sites for consideration by ENMAPS must be biodiversity-rich sites and also face threats of environmental degradation. The ASEAN countries identified as beneficiaries of the project are the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand – of the 3 the Phil averages 22 typhoons yearly.

MY COMMENT:
It is heart-warming for the Philippines to add 5 new sites for inclusion in the ASEAN MPA management project. I still believe that there are other sites which could be added to the list owing to it’s being an archipelagic/maritime country.
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THIS indication can easily be attributed to Christ himself who once said: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” (Lk 13,24).

These words came as a response to his disciples’ question whether only a few would be saved. The disciples must have felt overwhelmed when Christ described how the Kingdom of God is like and what would be needed to enter it. (cfr. Lk 13,18-21).

Christ was trying to be realistic about our human condition here on earth, marked as it is by our penchant for the so-called “good life,” where we like to drown ourselves in all sorts of material comfort and luxuries. Such life is definitely a matter of self-indulgence, the antithesis of love which we are supposed to live since we are the image and likeness of God whose very essence is love as shown, lived and shared with us by Christ.

This Christ-given indication is not about cultivating a dark, gloomy life here on earth, since true Christian life is always a happy and joyful life, marked by faith, hope and charity in all the situations of our life, whether good or bad humanly speaking. It is about being realistic about our human condition and about how to orient it to its proper end.

Yes, there is a great need for us to declare an unrelenting war against our self-indulgence which has become a very formidable problem we all have. This has always been a problem to us, but these days it is much more so.

With the many new wonderful things that can instantly give us convenience, comfort, pleasure and satisfaction, many of us are trapped into the very sticky web of obsessions, addictions and the many other forms of self-indulgence that feed on our weaknesses, like lust, pride, conceit, gluttony, unhinged curiosities, envy, etc., etc.

We just have to give a cursory look around to see how bad this problem is. Many people are just looking at their cellphones most of the time. There are reports saying that many young people often forget their meals and lose sleep because of what they do in the Internet. It’s clear they are terribly hooked there and it seems it’s now next to the impossible to get them out of there.

As a result, many duties and responsibilities are left unattended. Disorder and chaos are fast gaining ground as priorities are skewed. Superficiality has now become a mainstream lifestyle, reinforcing the trend toward consumerism, materialism and what Pope Francis refers to as the “throw-away culture” where ethical and moral considerations are ignored or even flouted, i.e., regarded with contempt. In short, God is thrown out of their lives.

Yes, many people are now living in their own world, detached from the realities of life. Their spiritual and social life, their relation with God and with others are now all but non-existent. At best, they give only appearances of these unavoidable aspects of life, enough to meet at least certain external expectations.

We have to react to this unfolding and disturbing reality with drastic measures. We have to do this with coordinated efforts, involving as many of us as possible. Let us recover our true bearing that in the end is rooted on the spiritual and supernatural, on our intimate relation with God that should translate into our increasingly intimate relation with everybody else.

It’s been reported recently that many people in Tacloban City have been suffering from stomach problems coupled with vomiting and diarrhea. There have been casualties as a result, and many got sick, battling dehydration and other complications.

This happened at a time when water pipes are being laid along highways and thoroughfares. The ongoing work is visibly seen as certain concrete roadsides are being broken by heavy equipment to enable workers to install the pipes. They even have portable and movable stand posts interconnected by a long yellow ribbon to cordon off the areas under repair.

Does this pipe-laying operation of the Prime Water (crime water to some) have to do with the cholera outbreak that’s occurring particularly in Tacloban City? It’s hard to tell; we don’t have tangible proofs and data that could establish the connection. But we are free to suspect and to do our own analysis regarding this matter. We have the right as consumers to demand quality products and services.

Let’s try these out here. It cannot be denied that many of these dug-up roadsides are submerged in filthy mud waters, which they share with drainage canals. These muddy waters are a mixture of wastes that come from residential houses and commercial establishments, not to mention the wastes of insects or animals like cockroaches and rats that help stain these portions. These waters, then, are home to millions or perhaps billions of germs, bacteria, viruses, etc.

Now, when the water pipes are laid, they are usually open on both ends. Workers do not care if these pipes will take in the filthy mud water when laid down. The pipes’ open ends do not have some kind of seal that could prevent dirty water from getting in. So before and after these ends are fitted together to form a long line of pipes, mud water is already inside. And though the clean water from the source would already start flowing through, the dirty water in those pipes will merely mix with the clean water, making the latter unfit for human consumption.

Make no mistake: a drop of bacteria-laden water could contaminate barrels of water. How much more if the contaminants from the filthy waters are plentiful? It is for this reason, then, that many people suspect this cholera outbreak resulted from the consumption of water from the pipelines laid. For when there was no pipe-laying activity yet, no such outbreak came.

Perhaps what the Prime Water management can do is instruct their pipe-laying workers to observe proper handling of pipes prior to installation by making sure they do not submerge in dirty drainage water, and that the latter never gets into the pipes. And if ever dirty water has gotten in, they should have means and procedures of flushing them out in such a way that consumers will not be able to drink them.
Remember, we are fighting microscopic enemies here, invisible to our naked eyes.