We went to Morong, Bataan, last Friday, for our long overdue company outing. We stayed in a beautiful resort called Bataan White Corals. (More of my photos can be found here.)
When we arrived, we were awed by how the beautiful the beach is, and how the water is very clear. Like every company outings, there was a program planned and we played an extremely tiring game with the rest of the company people. And after that, we’re left to do whatever we want.
The point of going to the beach is to be able to actually swim and play in the beach. So later that day, we went back to the beach to play. But as we approach the beach, we were appalled by the amount of trash floating on the beach. The water was indeed very clear, and because it’s very clear, we can also see the pile of scattered plastic bags, plastic cups, and tetra packs of juices, among other things. As we walk further down the beach, hoping to find a better place with less trash, we found a used condom, a used diaper, a glass bottle, and more plastic bags scattered in the sands and water. We were terribly dismayed and just decided to swim in the pool.
More than being dismayed, I was sad. I despair that people don’t give enough care for our environment. People go to these places to appreciate the beauty of it, to relax and have fun. But vacationing, relaxing and having fun does not include you leaving all your garbage behind. Will it kill your fun if you properly throw your goddamn garbage properly in the trash bins after yourselves? No. Will it kill you to walk a few steps to go to the trash bins to throw your garbage instead of throwing them in the water? Definitely, no.
I hope someone or some group would start telling on people to keep the beach clean. The Philippines is a beautiful country, full of beautiful places to visit – beautiful beaches, lush forests, etc. I think we should start learning to take care of our own environment. I hope people would learn to discipline themselves without having the need to force them to do so.
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”
–Mahatma Gandhi
Because if one changes himself, he could change the world.
3 Comments
Well, that sounds like Barbados and we do have a system in place (by way of a Government department and private companies) who clean up the trash others seem incapable of placing in the trash bins provided or, in some cases, incapable of dumping in a landfill …
The thing is that people still look at me weird for walking with extra plastic bags to dump my garbage in and I was even mocked as a child for chasing after a sweet wrapper that got away from me (our mother was very very strict about littering).
I just think that everyone should see keeping their country clean as their responsibility, that should be part of being hygienic especially in a society where everyone keeps talking about how holy they are … guess what cleanliness is next to Godliness have they never heard of that?
You’re right. Keeping the environment clean is not only a right for all human beings but also something we should do to ensure the survival of the Earth. Beautiful photos btw
I’m a beach person and seeing those items floating around would also make me sick big time. Really nasty stuff. The resort management should at least do something about it because some people simply don’t know how to bury their own shit.