FROM sunrise to sunset, light comes to the mountain in its varying intensity depending on the altitude, orientation or location you are situated. The effect of light on the survival of all life forms varies and helps define species diversity and order in the mountains.

For us mountain dwellers, light is a gift and a tool that we use to understand and appreciate the relationships of man with the diverse variety of plants, animals, bacteria and others in our entire mountain environment such as soil, water, and rocks. We simply need light to see what is essential and beautiful in the rugged fastnesses of the Cordilleras.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

In these parts, two good writers in two good local weeklies write two good columns entitled "Mountain Fire" and "Mountain Mist." Both come from Mountain Province and I hope they will continue writing their interesting columns reflecting on the nature of "mountain living" for us mountain men who look at the same things and concerns but express them according to our tribal tongues, orientations, passions and temperaments.

It's a good illustration of biodiversity even among us thinking species, and I like the humor of it as I play up tribal exchanges on my mind on some same concerns but eliciting conflicting reactions but not necessarily bad.

The idea of writing a column to be bannered "Mountain Light," is not an original one as you now can see. And it is too much for me to move about and write my piece amongst the great in this profession. Honestly, writing in its various forms, for me, has been such a task where each and every article was done with much struggle. I have written for government publications, a private Asia News Service, the Manila Bulletin Agriculture Magazine and most of our local weeklies for more than two-decades now. Still, I find each writing work daunting and difficult, including this introduction to my column.

Yet I accept this task and promise to endeavor to write on environmental and development concerns impacting on our unique geographical setting with the hope that I may be able to impart a new "sense-of-seeing" on the current stewardship of living and non-living resources in our midst. The result of all our writing, I hope, will make mountain living for us humans more exciting and interesting, not common, plainly contradicting, negating, and ultimately boring. I hope, "Mountain Light," will contribute much weight in this direction and not come out as another alternative column among many.

I can no more agree with you on the difficulty of this proposition. And we can also both agree that such is the stuff that comes with every good endeavor. Sir Isaac Newton, for instance, had to go through several disappointing failures to bring us his incandescent light, a most useful invention which is actually a poor copy of the original one (Sun.Star) that hangs in the heavens. That gives me inspiration enough to take on this challenge even as I look ahead to that day when this column comes out truly fulfilled, a "Mountain Light," planned, helped, written, compiled, and completed with dedication for all fellow mountain dwellers and pilgrims to meditate and hopefully build and improve on.

If you have read this far and have that confused expression on your face, or smiling, or pouting, that is good reward for me already, for a start.

Having said that, I do intend to invite the readership, you especially, to partner with me with your reactions, suggestions and illuminating contributions for the crafting of a participatory column meant to promote well-being and sustainable mountain living that will come out every Tuesdays of the week in this paper. Share your thoughts at this address: (rld_sunshine@yahoo.com.ph).