Good day, hivers!
I had started my day quite very busy as always. This time I need to wake up early for an activity that we are required to do before we could graduate from college. It's a City Ordinance of Bacolod to make every youth could contribute on taking care of the environment. Well, you know me, for things like this, I'm always up for it even if that would mean that I will be sleepless and should be sacrificing work, just to make it happen.
As early as 5:30 am, we gathered on our school grounds to wait for the city's service vehicles. When all set, we proceed to Barangay Felisa's Eco Park. It might sound like a place for unique plants to grow or a reservation area, but actually, it's the city's garbage dumpsite.
As shown in the photo, there's a hill on the distance. The other side is cultivated but the other side is full of garbage from the entire city. Even if it pollutes that side, the city found a way to take advantage of those rotting garbage by converting it into a healthy soil. Then, gradually, they're cultivating the other side to turn it back into a lofty greenery.
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One by one, the service vehicles arrive with the students and the plants that we're going plant later. Since the guests and other students didn't arrive yet, the organizer set up the canopy first and the students' help to transfer the plants from the vehicle to the ground.
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The surroundings of the premises is a vast vacant land which the only occupants are farm animals by the neighboring residence of the place. This is the other side of Bacolod that we don't often see aside from the bustling busy metro.
We have been waiting for so long and I got tired from standing, so I sat down on the grass with my friends here. Gladly, they gave out rice porridge and water 'cause I was already starving and it's already hot though the skies were a bit gloomy.
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The other students spread around to find a good spot to take photos and my friends did it as well. It's just that there are cows and carabaos around and we have to be careful not to scare them. A few seconds later here, there's one student that is a bit careless and didn't notice the carabao approaching her. Fortunately, she noticed it on the last minute and then run. Seeing her flee in panic, the other students beside her ran as well.
As the program officially started, they gave out the seedlings that each of us here will be planting. These were from the fruit-bearing seeds that was tasked to us to submit a few months ago. From here, I'm guessing that the local government is planning to turn this land into an orchard.
These are the tools they used to dug up the soil. The local employees were tasked to dig while the students were the one to plant which made our tasks easier and faster.
When the hosts shouted, "START", we were like in a race that we ran as fast as we could to find an empty hole. It's just really hot already and there's no shade to to take shelter, so that's why we made haste to complete the task.
And here's the one I planted myself, it's a Mango tree.
The soil is dry, and they said that we need to make sure that the tree will not wither after few hours of planting so the city employees could take care of them until they grow. So then, I took out my water bottle and poured most of it to the plant. I left some for myself, then hurry back to catch the bus. The first one to plant will be the first one to go home.
I really hope that all the trees we planted would be taken care of and grow healthy in that land. Also, I wish to see that land thriving with fruits and sugarcanes than just a smelly landfill.
Such a wonderful activity, di lang tao ang makikinabang sa ganito soon eh, but the environment as well. Pero natawa ako dun sa napatakbo coz of the carabao, lol. Di sila nakakatakot pero nakakagulat, lalo they are big and yk they might really react violently. Maigi nakatakbo agad no. Haha
This is a very good activity most especially for the youth because through joining with this king of activity it teaches the youngsters to be patient,to be responsible and to nurture the Mother Nature..
I believed that one day,these growing plants will soon beneficial to all the people most especially that were experiencing so much calamities this year..I'm wishing this will grow to a bigger and productive tree.
Travel warning for the Philippines: due to the increasing corruption in the police and judiciary, it is strongly advised to avoid traveling to the Philippines. More information about the corruption in the Philippine government you can read this: [Philippine corruption] Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines The Political Economy of Authoritarianism #2/163