Let’s celebrate cleanly
Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc. |
NINFA R. LEONARDIA
Editor-in-Chief & President | CARLA
P. GOMEZ Editor
GUILLERMO
TEJIDA III
Desk Editor
PATRICK PANGILINAN
Busines
Editor
NIDA A. BUENAFE
Sports Editor
RENE GENOVE Bureau
Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising
Coordinator | CARLOS
ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer |
The recent celebration held to welcome the New Year all over the country managed to divert our minds from all the tragic events that had marred the last few weeks of 2011, but it also revealed our sore lack of a very important trait as a people, which is Discipline.
In Bacolod City, for instance, we woke up on the morning after the joyous celebration to piles of trash in various parts of the city, but especially in the areas where crowds had gathered to welcome the new year. Aside from the heaps and piles along the streets, strewn all over were the remnants of firecrackers, bits of paper that stuck to the asphalt or cemented roads and were quite difficult to sweep away.
The lack of dumptrucks and the breakdown of some of those available naturally delayed the removal of the garbage that virtually covered both streets and parks.
It is reasonable to assume that this also happened in other parts of the province, and in other towns and cities of the country. In Metro Manila, residents were dismayed to see the tons and tons of garbage on their streets, and in the Luneta, the famed Rizal Park, and even in the areas around the Quiapo Church. Officials all over could only sigh and bemoan the thoughtlessness of those who were responsible for the messes.
But such problems and such ugly sights could have been avoided if our celebrating people had the self-discipline to each take care of their own food wrappings, left-overs, noisemakers, containers and other items by having sacks or bags with them where they can place their wastes after all the revelry. Most of them do this in their homes, so why can they not also do it in the public places of their towns or cities? Doing that would have made collection both easier and faster, and inconveniences removed swiftly.
Discipline is such a basic trait that could help so much in making life easier for us all. Let’s remember this not only in the next New Year’s Eve, but during all occasions when we gather to enjoy ourselves, as this will not only make us happy, it will also keep us healthy.*
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