Tourism czar Mon J could be the best if …

UP High Class ’71, which has musician John Lesaca as one of its members, is proud of another member, Ramon Jimenez Jr. We would like to tell Mon J that with the support of his wife Abby and “big clan,” batchmates Isabel, Ester, Judith, Rho, Girlie, Weni, Marisa, Jana, Ces, Monica, Tenny, Elena, Kat, Allen, Mapet, Buena, Alma, Minda, Emma G & S, Desiree, Ellen, Marian, Nelia, Veegee, Joan, Jo Ann, Julmina, Leilani, Nona, Cora, Elnora, Weng, Elvira, Yoly, Susie, Fern, Loreta, Armila, Ruth, Priscilla, Lina, Regina, Lorna, Annie, Aurafina, Brenda, Evelyn, Josefina, Fidelia, Tos, JP, Pepe, Luis, Boyet, Junji, Steve, Freddie, Chiong, Lino, Gus, Rolly S & R, Johnny, Vergel, Steven, Jun, Dennis, Nolie, Art, Ojie, Alvin, Ernie, Joseph, Doy, Bobby, Alex, Homer, Froilan, Buddy, Mandy, Danny, Anthony; and our families, relatives, and so on, we can come up with another big thing for our country now, like we did for our alma mater on our 25th, with a “single-minded purpose.”

I am a bit uncomfortable though with “selling our country like Chickenjoy” because of its non-ecological connotations, but, OK, I understand where you are coming from.

For a start, I suggest you and P-Noy tour Calumpit, Bulacan—a whole municipality without a dump. Each barangay has a modest ecology center for segregating, recycling or composting waste resources, at source. It is a pleasant, charming and green town, and I heard that the President’s sis Kris likes its longganisa.

Calumpit, however, is coastal and vulnerable to flooding, a problem aggravated by a lot of things like silt and garbage (from other areas) in waterways leading to Manila Bay. Thus, other areas must follow Calumpit’s example which is mandated in the law, Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, for one, should not make it an excuse to open up its lush and fertile lands to garbage from Metro Manila, Bulacan and other areas—or to toxic wastes from other countries—just because its internal revenue allocation has been reduced. (Inquirer, 8/16/11) A lot of wealth—compost and many more—lies in its remaining forests, if preserved.

I believe Mon J will be a good tourism leader; even better or the best if he can help persuade all the rest to make our country garbage-free, ecological. Otherwise, if more tourists come, garbage would pile up—and crash, heaven forbid! The Baguio garbage disaster was bound to happen because ecological waste management practice is not in place as countless tourists and transients leave their trash behind.

But please—also to the Metro Manila Development Authority et al.: Do not think of incineration or more of so-called “sanitary landfills” (glorified dumps) to solve the problem.

Household- and barangay-based ecological resource management works. It could be a “major, major selling” factor for tourists, here and abroad.

More green power to us all!

—ANA VER-PAPA,

Bangon Kalikasan,

[email protected]