IS THIS THE LEGACY WE ARE LEAVING BEHIND?

SOMETHING SMELLS 

By Carmen Rossello

  One morning, I woke up and saw most of our surroundings in water. And I was thinking, we just had a few hours of rainfall and we get this? My God! There wasn’t even a typhoon signal announced on either television or radio! The flood reminded me of the power of nature and its wrath if man neglected his duty to protect and preserve his environment. It did not matter if one was rich or poor, every one had to suffer the consequences. The flood engulfed sugarcane fields, roads, residential and commercial areas. Yes, Bacolod had the taste of what people from Manila and Iloilo experience, when heavy rains occur. Like other residents of Bacolod, I could not believe the events that transpired on that infamous day. It was like watching news on TV in Bangladesh, but would you believe this happened in the City of Smiles? 

  In this capital of our beloved province Negros Occidental, illegal structures in river banks, esteros, floodways, seashores and creeks have mushroomed into shanty towns. Empty lots - private and public ones - road sides and bridges have become havens for encroachers and “enterprising” families building makeshift homes, eateries, sari-sari stores, car repair and vulcanizing shops (some even made of concrete). This also explains the problem on discipline, indifference and the respect for the law. Funny thing is that, they blatantly do their squatting all under the noses of politicians, government and law enforcement agencies. (Try heading to SM Bacolod behind the Provincial Capitol and you’ll see two streets full of squatter communities.) Aren’t we slowly destroying the quality of life we are bragging about? A stroll in the city would show a long stretch of land filled with illegal structures and squatters. 

  Fisher folk families refuse relocation with excuses that they belong to the sea and they don’t have an alternative source of living. They brave the storms and gamble with their lives as they can’t go back to their hometowns to plant camote. 

  My dear readers, have you not seen the wastes, especially PLASTICS, that are thrown indiscriminately? Piles of garbage end up in streets, canals and drainage are clogged up, and garbage end in riverbanks, creeks, and sidewalks. A leisurely stroll in many streets in Bacolod would make one wonder where the piles of wastes and plastic come from and why the residents themselves can’t do something about it. 

  Officials tell us that the drainage system is old and needs to be improved. They can no longer cope up with the increasing number of families now residing in Bacolod and the nearby cities and municipalities. But aren’t they supposed to monitor the areas near the rivers, creeks and drainages and free these from illegal structures and residents who flock the area and dispose their trash indiscriminately? Laws have been created but they are not being enforced at all. 

  Taking a deeper look at reasons for this migratory pattern, we get a myriad of problems associated with “just a garbage problem”. With the influx of people from areas outside Bacolod trying to get a better life in the city, we would expect that opportunities become scarce. In a dog-eat-dog world, opportunities have become monopolized by the strong and blessed. The rest would be jostling for scraps until the scraps become unavailable. This would account for unemployment and underemployment. And little, menial or no work would mean no money for basic necessities like food, shelter, clothing, medicine and education. No work would mean little or no means to look for a decent place to live. 

  These people will bear the troubles and discomfort of poor hygiene, unclean surroundings, no potable water, the lack of toilet facilities, the threat of dislocation and disease, among other things, as long as they live in the city. This has been life to them. Sadly, to most of them, they remain hopeful that their plight for a better life will bear fruit - some day. Indifference, lack of education, false hopes and crab mentality has been etched in their minds and indeed has borne fruit. 

  Officials stop short of saying that the problem rests on the city’s inability to provide alternatives to the increasing number of dislocated, unemployed and hungry families migrating to the city, hoping for better lives and expecting aid from government personalities and relief agencies. Why have they not imposed the law on squatting and clamped down on illegal structures immediately to save on costs for litigation, relocation and re-taking of the property? 

  Latest figures already point to some 300,000 squatters currently residing in the city. We expect this number to grow with migrants coming to Bacolod lured by the welcoming attitude of “The City’s” promise of better opportunities and improved quality of lives. 

  Is this the legacy we want to leave behind? 

  I definitely would not want my nephews, nieces and fellow Negrenses to live in a city where heavy rains would result to floods, loss of lives and property, stranded commuters, businesses closed, and a city at a standstill. I certainty would dread leaving behind a city where streets and river banks are filled with garbage, houses become breeding grounds for filth and disease, unemployed people living on dole outs and freebies, vagrants and street children begging on the streets, and minors and adults engaged in criminal activities and prostitution due to poverty. 

As I woke up this morning, I came to realize that Barrack Obama’s campaign of change doesn’t start nor end in America. His battle cry is very appropriate to every individual in this little part of the world. Change transcends color, race, nationality, political party, social class, and religion. I agree that we need leaders who can stand up, implement the laws, lead and initiate change. It takes a lot of political will and determination among our current leaders to improve the city and implement changes. They should stop all the bickerings, the blaming, or pointing to each other as sources of or contributors to the negative things that happen to our city. We too owe it to ourselves to do our part in making our piece of Bacolod a better place to live in.