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Port Orchard
Washington, USA
December 08, 2000
Gov. Exequiel B. Javier
Province of Antique
New Capitol Building, San Jose de Buenavista
5700 Antique, Philippines
Dear Governor Javier:
This letter is about the proposed dumpsite in Semirara for MMDA's garbage that I was recently made aware of by Pandan, Antique's organizations here in the USA.
I have been living in Washington State since 1968, but my heart and loyalty are still intact as an Antiqueño and Pandananon. I have my roots in Pandan, the town of my birth. My relatives and friends are still there.
In all my travels, no place can compare to the beauty of Pandan and its surroundings--- the pristine beaches where I spent many childhood days playing and cleaning my feet in the sand, the coral reefs that exposed me to a myriad of colored creatures of the sea, the clear waters that lured me to learn to swim at an early age, the fresh catch from the sea on our table, the unhurried existence of a peaceful town.
What will happen to all these when Semirara island, which is just a few miles away from Pandan, becomes MMDA's dumpsite for tons and tons of trash? I shudder when I think of the day when Semirara will become part of that trash. The once beautiful island that offered me refuge from the storm on a sailboat trip to Mindoro when I was ten years old will be but an eyesore and an enviornmental derelict.
Semirara is ours. It is a part of us. We, Antiqueños, are very adamant about protecting and preserving our way of life and our heritage. Semirara needs our protection now from the perils of pollution and degradation.
As the governor of Antique and the province's key spokesperson in the proposal, you have the power to stop the impending destruction of Semirara and its neighboring islands and towns. Please use that power because a lot of lives are depending on you. Stop the Semirara dumpsite proposal.
Respectfully yours,
Thelma Mantac Ramos |
