Earth Day 2018
APRIL 22 is Earth Day and it behooves upon all us the sons and daughters of Mother Earth (called in Latin as Gaia) to now reflect on the state of the environment.
For the ecological people (farmers and fisherfolk) who for decades were taking direct actions (human barricades) to protect Gaia, we firmly believe that protecting God’s vanishing creation is the highest form of worship. But armed goons of the loggers together with their cabal of vested interest had been mobilized against us.
As the leader of the barricaders, may I share this simple reflection on why we have dared to put our lives at risk for the love of Gaia.
Grenades had been thrown at us, harassments, arrests and cases were filed but these had no match against our determined will to fight for Gaia. Indeed, love is the supreme force in the universe that commands all obedience.
Her name is Gaia (Mother Earth) and today Gaia is in deep pain and hemorrhaging without let-up and is now dying. We are now on the 18th year of the 21st century but we do not know whether we can reach the 22nd century which is only 82 years from now. Yes, the unimaginable is becoming imaginable: the end of life on earth. Let us now diagnose Gaia.
Her “lungs”(the forests) are almost gone. In the Philippines, only eight percent of that “lungs” remain as the 17 million hectares of dipterocarp forests have been ravaged, causing the massacre of all life forms that dwelt in the forest ecosystem for billions of years.
All areas logged by the loggers were within prohibited zones. They did not even do their obligation to do replanting. The DENR must be made accountable why that office did not enforce the environmental laws in the past years.
Her “veins” (the rivers) are either drained or heavily polluted as 25 major rivers in our country are biologically dead. We have already lost 75 percent of our mangroves (the spawning grounds of fish) and only 5 percent is in excellent condition. Our coral reefs, that delicate gift from Providence have been heavily destroyed through dynamite fishing and “muro ami.”
How stupid were we when during the time of the dictatorship, the Philippines entered into an agreement with Japan (the RP-Japan Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation) which allowed the Japanese computerized trawlers and fishing vessels to literally rake our seas. The Philippines was described then as the “center of the center of marine life on earth.” Now gone forever!
Her “fever” (global warming) lingers, causing Her so much discomfort, i.e. colds (storms), sneezing (typhoons), shakings (earthquakes), and deliriums (tsunamis). Her “stomach” (the oceans) is now so upset as the seas rise and the glaciers melt.
Her “skin” (the 6-inch top layer of the earth – the soil that gives life) has been scalped through mindless mining operations and “blood” (the water table) has been injected with toxic chemicals through conventional agriculture.
2. kutós/kutús – (palagyu) koti, tuktuk, katuk, sapuk. English – a knuckle blow on the head. Alimbawa king pamangamit: “Sinawa yang kutus i Maning keng kalaban nang dayu inya e ne kanu makitumbukan pang pasibayu kapilan man.”
3. kutón/kutún – (palagyu) lulun, tuklip, lupi. English – shorten by folding or rolling. Alimbawa king pamangamit: “E ya pa tinuknang kutun keng pisi i Isyung at angga man ngeni makaba-kaba pa ing makatagan.”
4. kutyâ – (palagyu) pamangutya, tuya, sora, sisti. English – mockery, scorn. Alimbawa king pamangamit: “Pengilagan na ing kutya anggang inyang mitalabu ne man keng malalam a talaga.”
5. kwa – (palagyu) anak o malati pang asu. English – puppy, cub. Alimbawa king pamangamit: “Agyang kwa ya pa mu malyaring kang mikasakit keng kinis da reng asung sakitan mu naman.”
IRIYANG KAPAMPANGAN: Iriya da reng Kapampangan kareng asu a nung dilatan de ing sugat mu, mipaldan o kumayap ya ing sugat mu. Ini migmula mu naman keng kapanwalan dang I San Roque kanu –patrun de reng asu uling itang sugat na apakayap ne kanu ning sese nang asu. Akit me pin naman a atin yang tatalanang boting panulu at keng arapan na ating asu.
PAMIPALINO: Ing Kapisik magnasa ya at manwalang misubling pasibayu ing lagablab ning legwan ning Kalinangan Kapampangan kapamilatan ding keyang dalit, kawatasan, amlat at miyayaliwang kapaglalangan a misulat king pigmulan at tune kulitan kambe ning dalise at mapagmasabal a pamisip at parasan. Ing panyulat ding pipumpunan yang sukat mataluki at miparangalan kapamilatan ning pamangamit kareti at aliwa ring karing dayu at salungat a paralan dang dela keti Kapampangan. Ing Kapisik ala yang kikilingan a kapanaligan, aguman o ninu man nung e ing Lubusang Katutwan.