A river runs by its side. From the top of the mountain it meanders along city houses until it passes under a small bridge by the portal of Easter College. The mountain used to be green when the city’s oldest private school was built way back in 1906. Now, just like any other creek or river in any metropolis of this country, its water is dark or murky fit only for Satan’s soup.
There were glittering materials son the river but these were reversed plastic wrappers of checherya and other kinds of plastics, sacks, old clothes, etc., indiscriminately thrown into it. Talk of lack of educati on on the part of the people living on its banks.
The water there used to be clean, the mountain green. Now the place is a city. You know what is meant by this when it comes to the environment.
So the college, mindful of its responsibility to the community, entered into an agreement with the Central Guisad Barangay to help out in the LGU’s efforts at being environment friendly. Thus, last November 18, its elementary, high school and college students, in coordination with the barangay trooped to the river to clean it from up the mountain all the way down where it is flat.
The kids came prepared with boots and cleaning implements. As expected from groups of kids, they were rowdy but happy. Some got splashed with the dirty and muddy water, others contorted their faces at the sight and the bad smell. But overall they went about the task in a happy way.
Now, if you stand on the bridge by the college’s gate, it is a lot cleaner. No more glittering plastics and other unwanted and unsightly debris.
As I sat down with some of the participants, they were groping with words when I asked them about history and regularity of cleaning up the river. Same thing when I brought out sustainability through community education along the river’s path. All of these mean such must be dealt with. For the river is not going away any time soon.
I am very sure,the college and the barangay have plans regarding such.
How about involvement of the community, the alumni? For indeed it takes a village to keep a river clean. As I joked with some staff of the college staff,, after the clean up there should have been a collective lunch.
Considering that community service should be a big part of education, we have to congratulate the college for that event. Better though if the issues earlier mentioned will be addressed. which am sure will be done. That will keep the conversation going, as well it should, regarding any city river. Putting this short story on the front page is in pursuance of that. Only then can improvements happen, about which other educational institutions don’t give a damn. (APP) **
