BY: FERLIZA CALIZAR-CONTRATISTA
TOLEDO CITY, October 14 (PIA)--- Save the environment, it is yours. This was the thrust of the message of Toledo City Mayor John Henry Osmena to the students of Awihaw National High School.
Osmena gave his message during the second Campus Caravan and said, issues on environment are not something to be taken for granted.
“Whenever there are meetings and consultations that deal with issues of the environment, I always make sure that I am the one attending,” Osmena said.
The Mayor, who has been a long time Senator of the Philippines said, there are a lot of simple things that anyone can do to protect the environment.
He said he is already in his prime age and will not be the one to benefit all these acts of preservation.
“I am already old, I will already die so these are actually for you, the youth,” Osmena said.
Dr. Eddie Llamedo, regional information officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) gave a presentation on “Environmental Stewardship”.
The students were amazed upon learning the negative effects of plastics and their products.
“Ordinary plastics take 10-70 years to decompose, diapers 100 years,” Llamedo said.
The students were also given other simple tips ranging from water conservation to saving the electricity.
“Use pail in taking a bath, glass in brushing teeth, and do not overcharge your cellphones and other gadgets,” Llamedo said.
Cebu Infocen Manager Rachelle Nessia then taught the high school kids, how to make a story out of their simple and best environmental practices with the use of the cellular phones.
“Any simple video of a good practice in your home and in your barangay, record it on video and upload it to our social media sites,” Nessia said.
Nessia said, social networking sites, of which the most common is Facebook, is already a good tool that the students can use in becoming an advocate for the environment.
The students participated in the trivia portion and had their selfies and groupies taken at the photo booth.
Philippine Information Agency (PIA-7) regional director, Minerva BC Newman initiated the citing of the Pledge for the Environment.
“I promise to take care of myself. In taking care of myself, I'm taking care of the environment. In taking care of the environment, I'm taking care of Mother Earth! So help me God.”
The activity was capped with the planting of more than a hundred narra seedlings in a hill near the campus.
Toledo is the second venue of the Campus Caravan jointly initiated by DENR and PIA-Cebu. The first was in tCantao-an National High School in barangay Cantan-ao, Naga City, Cebu. (mbcn/FCC/PIA7-Cebu)