I have beautiful memories of the river that passes through the Tulay-Bato, the Tulay-Baraka, and the Lambingan Bridge in Wawa(Pabiluang). I went to school and back on foot from elementary to high school. Looking down from the two bridges near the public market, I was always attracted to the brook-like water current, and the pebbles that can be seen clearly beneath the clear waters.
I walked from school to our home in Wawa, at least four times a day. When we were in the elementary grades, I used to pass through Daan Bilolo, the palengke ( to see my grandmother), then Lati and Pabiluang.
When we were in high school, I took a different route: Arellano (Tangaran), Bagumbayan, and the Bagumbayan-Wawa bridge. Everyday, there were boys having fun either swimming in the river or paddling the lunday in the river. It was very safe to swim in the river during those years.
Now, the water is greenish and littered with all kinds of garbage. It is almost stagnant. It is in a very sorry state. It is literally 'dying' if not yet dead. It is very unsafe to even set foot in it, much less to swim there.
However, I think with concerted effort our river can still be saved. It is a matter of educating the people on proper waste disposal and strict implementation of municipal ordinances, as well as national laws on saving the environment. Somebody or a group must take the lead.
What do you think, batchmates? Please send in your comments and suggestions through our blog. (Luz is willing to post them for you. Please call her up or send your handwritten notes to her.)
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2 comments:
Jo,
Many of us have fond memories of San Vicente River.I remember the clear water flowing and during low tides I used to catch small fishes and pick up beautiful shells there.I also used to call up Annie from the side of "depensa" (where there are tuwi,mangroves and other trees)to tell her that I am ready for our walk to JRI.
You are right ,the river is so polluted due to people's nasty habit of throwing their trash there.Laws are violated or there was no conscious effort to implement them and the lack of discipline among our people.
I remember Emma had written a winning piece (essay) about preserving that river .I will ask her about it for posting.
Dear Jo and Lucille,
During those highschool days, when passing the bridge on the main street. I will never forget a nasty smell of the river near the old market. I had never seen it clean since then. Since it was near the market all the waste were thrown to the river. With the help of our government and the people our community can be preserved. Many places in the Philippines are clean like Palawan, Olangapo, Marikina and some more and this is because of the cooperation of the people and the head of their community.
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