“In its mysterious past (the sea) encompasses all the dim origins of life and receives in the end…After many transmutations, the dead husks of that same life.”
—Rachel Carson
For most of us Filipinos who used to live in the Philippines, Manila Bay probably has given us good memories—walking along the breakwater, taking in the smell of the sea and enjoying the sunset. Well, the sunset is still there, as it always should be, but a lot of things have changed in the bay in the past years.
In reality, the Philippines has one of the most comprehensive environment laws, sadly in practice, there is no monitoring and lacks enforcement. What was once a good source of livelihood for fishermen is now a dumping site of poison. In a report by Wayne Ellwood in the New Internationalist, concentrations of heavy metals in fish from the bay are 10 to 16 times the safe levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO). These metals can damage kidney and liver and cause congenital diseases in babies.
About 200,000 Filipinos depend on the bay by fishing and other livelihood. However, with its present state, it might not be able to survive for future generations to see. Manila Bay is dying, and it is time to step up and preserve our sea. (AJPress)
( Published on December 19, 2008 in Asian Journal Orange County p. A6 )
