In every darkness, few people can still see and hold light and flashes. However, many people who are already drowning in darkness cannot do anything but adjust and live with it.
There are always two sides to every story: a positive one wherein people still see the light in the darkness they are in, and a negative one as they just let themselves drown in the darkness by adjusting and living with it— that is how life works as not all people are sharing the same story, thoughts, and experiences.
Last time, if we could recall in blog number 1, we were able to hear the voices of the people who live in Meycauayan City, Bulacan. The results show how the community experiences different problems with different scopes and effects. However, out of all of the issues they bring up, environmental problems are the main thing that they speak about and want to resolve as soon as possible.
Meycauayan City is famous for its excellent jewelry making, but on the negative side, it is also known for having one of the dirtiest rivers in the world. This is one of the environmental issues that they face up until now. But how do people in Meycauayan face and think about it? We will see that as we go deeper and see the current situation of this community issue.
Are you ready to dive more?
People who hold light and flashes
"Opo. Naniniwala akong may pag-asa pa ang Ilog Meycauayan dahil sa nakikita namin, nagiging malinis na ito." says Sheila Tapis, in charge and head in handling clean up operation of Meycauayan River and staff of City Environment and Natural Resources Office - Meycauayan regarding the idea if there is still hope for the Meycauayan River to be less polluted.
In the eyes of the City of Meycauayan government and its environment office, there are still reasons for hoping to see a better and cleaner river. Ma'am Tapis said that the local government is very aware of the effects of the said river on the community and the life of the people. Those effects motivate them to always take action like cleaning the creek and Meycauayan River on a daily basis.
"Mayroon pong project ang Meycauayan. Ang paglalagay ng mga floodgate sa kailogan at paglalagay ng dike. Pati po pagpapalalim ng ilog, halimbawa ay pagtanggal ng mga burak at mga basura gamit ang mga heavy equipment namin. Patuloy din naming nililinis ang ilog Meycauayan." she says as she answers the question if the local government is doing actions to rehabilitate the dead river.
While the City of Meycauayan government and CENRO see and hold the light on this problem, it seems like it is contrary to the stand of residents living near the Meycauayan River. With all the positive stands they provided, the big question is, why do people still have a negative notion about it? Is it because they do not want to accept and open their eyes to see if there are any improvements? Or is it because they know and feel the truth?
People who adjust and live with the darkness
Since 2001, the Meycauayan River has been considered biologically dead because of the undisciplined acts of ordinary citizens and small and big factories in waste management. As it became a dead river, people inside and outside the city already filled the image and name of the river with negative and bad views.
"Polluted"
"Filthy"
"Noisome"
"Hopeless"
Here are just some single words that residents in the Meycauayan used in describing the said river until now. In fact, even people outside the city will also say this to define the river knowing its appearance, smell, and effects on the community.
In the eyes of the people who live near the Meycauayan River
Ayalyn Porton, a resident in Barangay Zamora for 15 years, said she observes that the local government has actions and projects where they remove trash in the river manually. But, she said that it is still enough for the river to be considered clean. She also stated that she was not hoping that the river would be clearer than black. However, she hopes that the garbage that floats in the river until now will lessen.
Lanz Tolosa, a resident in Barangay Calvario for three years, said that the local government actually has actions, but it is still not enough. He also said that he is somehow looking forward to the rehabilitation of the river. He said that it might be possible if people have self-discipline and the chemical factories will be aware of how important it is to manage their disposal of chemical waste properly. If these actions are practiced to a greater extent, they will give hope to the river and community.
Ico Armildez, a resident in Barangay Hulo for eight years, said that the local government does various cleaning activities. The staff from the environment office or CENRO, together with volunteers, clean the river at least twice or thrice a month. With what he sees, he is hopeful for the river to be better as long as the cleaning activities are maintained and some regulations are made.
Even if there is still hope left in them for the Meycauayan River rehabilitation, residents still think that the local government's effort is not enough. Not enough to prove the stand of the environment office to say that the river is already clean. Residents still cannot hide their disagreement with that view because the pollution in the river is still evident, and they are still affected by its effects.
Nevertheless, the inspiring part is that they still choose to be aware of what is happening on the issue. Even if they do not have many capabilities to clean the river, they do not forget to take a simple and small action. This is how the residents make adjustments and live with this environmental problem.
The Two Sides
The residents' opinion and how they view the Meycauayan River shows that there is a big difference between their perception and the local government's view. This is why it is vital to hear the voices of the residents of the city, especially those who live near the river, as they are the ones who always experience the river's effects. Single narratives must be prevented and erased for every story to be transparent and avoid biased points. For example, here in this report, the government said that the river is already clean. If everyone only knows this single piece of information, they might believe that. But, if we include the side of other people regarding the river, they will know that there is an extended side and information about it.
To end, even though the local government and residents do not share the same views, they still share one thing: a HOPE. Hope for the Meycauayan River to be better than before. Maybe as long as a local government holds and sees the light and residents choose to adjust to this problem, it will bring more and more actions to widen the possible good for the community.
Proof of Interview:
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