Event : Graduation Rites of the Bayer Young Environmental Envoys
Venue : Crown Peak Garden Hotel, SBMA
Date : 8 September 2001
Time : Dinner




(Standard greetings and preliminaries)

It is a great honor and privilege for me to be with you tonight, considering that you have been chosen from among the hundreds of young people who joined this program. You top the list of our country’s best college students actively involved in the preservation of Mother Earth. It is also with much excitement that I look upon you because as an eco-warrior myself, I am filled with hope for our future seeing that you young people are bright individuals with a heart for our environment.

Eco-warrior. Yes, we are all soldiers defending and crusading for vital environmental causes. And this is your boot camp from which I hope you had learned much. A lot of people have shared their expertise and knowledge on environmental issues so that you can pick up the banner of our cause and represent the Philippines to the world as a nation serious about fighting the decay of our fragile ecosystems.

This search for environmental envoys is a tie-up of Luntiang Pilipinas, which I chair, and Bayer Philippines because we believe that the youth can do so much for the environment primarily by raising the level of awareness and concern of your peers in your respective communities.

The goal of this worthwhile program is for you to be especially trained in exploring solutions to environmental problems assailing us today and in the future. Under the guidance of experts, you will be provided the opportunities to observe the broad range of environmental protection measures and state-of-the-art technologies that advanced countries implement for the sake of our environment. Why the need to expose you to these? So that you may learn and bring back to our country what you have observed and ensure that such measures are employed here, too.

It is vital that we as a nation come up with aggressive preservation programs for the environment. I know you are not blind to the fact that we have an enormous garbage problem even with the existence of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law which I authored. Our rivers, lakes and seas are deteriorating in an alarming rate. Our forests are fast disappearing while our air is suffocatingly polluted. I believe no one here will disagree with me when I say that a few years from now, everyone will be wearing oxygen masks, toting around expensive bottled water and suffering under the increased temperature and terrible smells of filthy surroundings. You will not disagree because it is already happening now. At this very moment.

We need to arrest this horror that is happening every single day of our lives. While it is true that greed has caused the plunder of the environment, it is ignorance that decays it even further. Ignorance of proper waste disposal. Ignorance of the negative effects of various activities such as dumping into bodies of water, smoke belching, burning wastes, clearing forests. If people are educated on the negative effects and then they are taught ways or programs that are eco-friendly, then the world will be a much better and cleaner place.

I call on you, young eco-warriors to rise up to this challenge. A big problem environmental programs face is its sustainability. But you are blessed with the energy and vibrancy of youth. It is my hope that you will focus your energies into the promotion of environmental causes and remain committed in this endeavor. Rally your friends to the cause and together, we create a synergy devoted to the preservation of the environment.

As chair of Luntiang Pilipinas, I do a lot of tree-planting all over the country. Planting trees involve a lot of knowledge, heart and work; but knowing that each tree I plant is a monument for my children makes up for all the hard work done. That is the same for all our environmental projects. Faced with overwhelming ecological problems, think hard as you come up with sustainable solutions. Work hard because you are fighting against such giants as greed ignorance, laziness, and time. Stay committed. And this I must say—love your cause and embrace the work that is to be done. For without a heart you will succumb to the fear of not doing enough. I understand, after all, this is a whole planet we’re talking about. But do what you can in your own little space because if we all join together in saving our planet, all of the billions of people on the earth—just imagine what we can achieve.

Fresh, breathable air. Clean and potable water flowing from o faucets. Lush forests within our cities. Flowers everywhere. Balanced ecosystems. Clean surroundings. Skies so clear you can see the blue of day and the Milky Way at night. A harmonious existence with the other living organism of the planet. Picture this in your mind, young envoys, and cherish it. Then let’s get down to work!

We’re counting on you. More importantly, the earth and your children one day depend on your success. We have every reason to believe that you will achieve this. Mabuhay kayong lahat!