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Sunday, June 11, 2006
Estemera: The soft spot
By Stella A. Estremera
Spider's Web
IT WAS just an idea hatched after imbibing so much nitrogen less than a month ago. After a marathon dive of sorts -- a total of five at an average of an hour and 20 minutes per dive in two days -- Poker started talking about a "Freedom Wall" type of an experimental artificial reef that can be deployed on Independence Day.
After some quick brainstorming, the idea of a Freedom Wall was junked, as it would require a lot of resources (a.k.a. money) in so short a time. We don't have money, and we had very little time.
Carlos thus came up with one of his bright ideas -- why not make it in modules to be deployed one by one. In that way, he said, we don't have to rush the whole thing, we will be spending on it on an "installment basis", and it can give us time enough too to drag in some other unsuspecting souls to pay for that installment.
Being experimental, we can also do some adjustments and modifications on every other module to be deployed later depending on how the earlier modules are performing as coral growth generators.
The Independence Day idea, however, was not junked and thus instead of a flag, the module became a star with eight rays. Yes, yes, we know it's the sun that has eight rays in our flag, but then... the sun is a star but a steel-framed sun will be more expensive than a star. Ergo, an eight-rayed star is the most practical. We can always top it with a flag...
The first meeting was called with less than two weeks to go before Independence Day. Discussion as usual was over bottles of beer and glasses of wine, after all, we were doing it after office hours and thus do not see the need to be so stiff and formal about everything.
The days after that meeting saw things just falling into place and help coming from unexpected sources -- Paradise Island Beach Resort, Ferro Steel, Philippine Navy -- and a program of sorts with the participation of friends in key government units, we ourselves couldn't believe how we managed to put them all together in less than two weeks without spending much except some time and a few hundreds, out of pocket expenses.
Thus recalled the lessons we learned in our years as a group of volunteer for the marine environment. That is: Everyone has a soft spot for the environment. Just think Nemo and everybody beams. There's just one problem, most do not know how to "find Nemo."
We once held a two-day onsite training for marine mammal rescue in Malita, Davao del Sur just spending for gasoline and the printing of certificates for the participants. In return we became some sort of "big brothers" out there, welcomed with a smile and looked up to for looking into the needs of their village.
We staged a video showing of the lush marine resources of Barangay Lucatan in Tarragona, Davao Oriental and earned the friendship of its people as well as the assurance of a warm welcome every time we want to dive anew. We left, comforted by the fact that the people there are more protective of what nature has endowed them after seeing the underwater in full colors. Our total expense? Gasoline, tanks and time.
We swam with the dolphins of Lupon in Davao Oriental and earned more friends and volunteers for the environment. Our total expense? Gasoline, tanks and time.
We explored the depths of Nabunturan in Compostela Valley and earned friends anew as well as helped the local government unit see what's in their waters. Total expense: time.
There are ready and willing hands, waiting everywhere. We only have to tell them what we all can do together.
There has been more of those travels in the past and more are lined up in fact, through the four years we have been jumping in and out of the waters and dragging friends along, turning them into staunch supporters afterwards. Because we have learned as soon as we started on this journey towards everywhere where there's water (that includes rivers): Everyone has a soft spot for the environment. It's how you deliver the message that makes the difference.
And as my sage friend once had to admit (obviously against his will), "The best example you can set is what has been done for the marine turtles here. I admit being leery about all that before, but I can't deny the that you have done a lot in so short a time, we might as well learn from that." saestremera@yahoo.com
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (June 11, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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