Tuesday, January 08, 2008 Church official asks for 'zero waste fiesta'
A QUIAPO Church (Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene) official has asked devotees for a waste-free celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Wednesday, January 9.
"We are hoping that the coming procession will also be educating our devotees on their responsibility to the environment," said Quiapo Church rector Monsignor Jose Clemente Ignacio.
Ignacio's statement echoed the appeal of EcoWaste Coalition asking the public to be responsible in throwing their garbage during the January 9 celebration.
The group earlier wrote a letter to the Basilica and other barangay leaders foreseeing the multitude of devotees that will attend the traditional Black Nazarene procession, which usually leave tons of garbage.
"Our pious devotion to the Black Nazarene should also find expression in the way we treat the streets of Quiapo and care for the environment," said Manny Calonzo, EcoWaste secretary.
With this, the environmental group offered the following guidelines for a "Zero Waste Fiesta": 1) minimize the creation of waste by using as few resources as possible at the various events, 2) avoid using plastic and disposable items, 3) separate discards into biodegradable and non-biodegradable, and 4) put them into their proper containers to facilitate recycling and make simpler the work of cleaners and collectors.
"We hope that the maroon-clad ardent devotees of Señor Nazareno will also serve as models for green values that our nation very much need to clean up our streets and communities and bring back the health of our degraded environment," Calonzo said.
The late Jaime Cardinal Sin created the guideline when he appealed to the faithful to make the 2003 World Meeting of Families a "zero waste celebration of life."
At the same time, Ignacio urged the devotees to use the occasion to deepen their relationship with God.
"Confess, pray, deepen your relationship with God before attending the feast. Evil is lurking so much in the world and we hope from the heart of Jesus that this will lead to change that will bring forth hope to our country," he said. (FP/Sunnex)
