Did you ever imagine that this kind of tiny thing can cause a big problem to people?
“Maliit na
Basura Ibulsa Muna” – as I observably walk through the public places of Metro
Manila, I always notice these filthy signage filled with vandals posted by MMDA
in every part of the sidewalk. This is to remind every individual that we have some
small responsibilities for our surroundings that we need to take in. But as I
observed, it seems like it’s an enormous job to work on for some Filipinos that
even a piece of candy wrapper cannot be properly disposed or at least keep it
on their pocket to avoid scattered wastes in public places even on seaside that
completely looks unpleasant.
Every year, we
suffer from floods caused by typhoons and storms. Metro Manila is one of the
heavily affected areas. Due to improper waste disposal, drains were clogged and
water cannot flow properly that seems one of the reasons why Metro Manila is
always flooded.
After flood, you
can see the result of people’s irresponsibility and negligence to our
environment. Tons of garbage welcomed the residents left by flood – an evidence
that most Filipinos have not yet learn their lessons. We have the saying “What
goes around, comes around” - Our nature is just sending back what people are
giving.
There is no lack
of laws, what we lack of is ENFORCEMENT, DISCIPLINE and most of all - CARE. In
fact, MMDA has the ANTI-LITTERING LAW. It includes the prohibition of Littering,
Illegal dumping, and Illegal disposal of garbage. But did you ever hear a man
being penalized because of littering?
Small individual efforts together can build a big difference for every community. Learn to care
for our environment even if there are no laws for it, do it in our own will as
it will not only help our Mother Nature but also ourselves.