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In last week’s program we heard how one of the largest freshwater lakes in South-East Asia is dying.
It can no longer stand the abuse, exploitation and neglect imposed on it by humans.
To turn things around young people are getting involved.
Madonna Virola has the story from Calamba.
In Calamba Bayside National High School, 16 years old Jayson Cristobal holds up a painting of an hourglass in Laguna Lake.
He says it represents the time running out to save the lake.
“Only if people will unite will the lake be revived. The problem is people throw their garbage in to the canals and this flows down into the lake. Now it’s all coming back to people.”
His painting won first prize in a Climate Change Art competition run by SEARCA a regional centre on sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Lorna Capulong says art is a powerful way to educate people.
“We wanted to see how they thought of Climate Change in a layman’s point of view expressed in artistic creation. You can never underestimate the children’s minds. We saw they have a good grasp of Climate Change. If you look at the posters, they understood concept of carbon dioxide, that this is a result of burning gasoline. And how when you cut trees it will also increase the temperature of the environment, and they also understood how to make things right.”
The paintings will be used to develop School curricula on climate change across the Asian region.
“SEARCA together with Rexam, based in Malaysia, it’s a center on science and mathematics, we’re doing a curriculum on climate change for the elementary and high school, so this is a continuation of the work, when we are done with this, hopefully in April, the curriculum is for the South East Asian teachers. So hopefully with this, we can connect the painting, poster and photos competition with the curriculum so that will concretize our contribution to making people aware from the younger level to adult population on climate change.”
Jayson – the art competition winner - says he is suffering already due to Climate Change.
On a tour of his campus he points to marks on the walls where the flood waters submerged their school when typhoon Ketsana hit last year.
Their classes were disrupted for several months, he says.
Laguna Lake is the biggest fresh water body in the country and it’s dying due to neglect and exploitation by millions of people that live along its shores.
I go to the nearby lakeside which has become a park for many people.
Government workers are repainting the cemented fences of a narrow road that lead to the lake.
Oswaldo Alcasid is a government environment and natural resources officer.
He says it’s hard to change people’s ways.
“Older people are stubborn. They are resistant to change like when we ask them to segregate their wastes between those which can decompose and those recyclables which in return will benefit them.”
Young people like Jayson says when he painted Laguna Bay, he feels its pain.
He says he wishes for the day when he could repaint it.
“With crystal clear water, air is fresh- totally different from now. I will help starting from home and I hope the government fully address the environment.”
Dr. Lorna Capulong of SEARCA appeals to everyone.
He emphasizes on cutting down the use of resources and living simply.
‘I would like to put passion in hearts-that all the resources that we have are God-given, whether you’re a Muslim, whatever belief you have, we know that these resources should be taken cared of so that our next generation can also enjoy the benefits that we are enjoying now. If we don’t exert any effort, if we are pathetic, then these resources would be gone.”
