Bike for a Cause: Help Save Our Earth!

Four of the students joined the “Bike for the Environment” with Fr. Picx last September 13-14, 2009. It was a campaign against the construction of a Coal-Fired Power Plant in Maasin, Sarangani Province. They travelled from Davao to Maasim via General Santos City. They were also joined by 4 bikers from our parish and more from the neighboring towns of Sarangani. They were met by hundreds of delegates in Maasim for a mobilization headed by the Redemptorist Itenerant Mission Team which is currently having its mission in the area.
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The scorching heat of the sun pierced through my skin as I traversed the highway of Sarangani riding on a bicycle. What only gave me a sense of relief was the wonderful sight of the clean waters below – along the coasts of the nearby municipalities. But sooner or later these clean waters, and the fishes that have provided food for the inhabitants, will soon be gone when the construction of a coal-fired power plant will push through. Furthermore, not only the intense heat of the sun will kill all the trees and damage our skins but also the air we breathe will choke us to death. Eventually, every one of us, anywhere we may be, will suffer much if we will not act in order to save our environment from its relentless destruction.

The “Bike for a Cause” was our simple way of showing our great concern for what is happening to our world today. The climate change caused by the so-called global warming has continued to affect us. Strange occurrence of the seasons this year is a manifestation of this: unpredictable rains during the summer, heavy storms in some parts of the country while other parts are experiencing unbearably hot weather and a lot more. These things have affected us so much that we find it necessary to make a move now. The simple way of bringing to people’s consciousness the ill effects of our misuse and abuse of the environment will hopefully touch their hearts and compel them to do their own part of helping to save the earth.

Each and every one of us, whether we like it or not, will really be affected for the things we do to our nature. The degradation of our natural resources and the pollution in our lands, waters and air in exchange for a temporal “apparently good development” will make us all suffer in the end. However, there are still some things which we can do to prevent all these. Information dissemination is just one way. Each of us, in our own little ways, can contribute to the salvation of our world if only we consciously do it.

(-Klint)