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Friday, November 3, 2017
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DUE TO inclement weather, the turnout of people in cemeteries on Nov. 1 and 2 was observably lower. But this had not prevented many from littering. Repeated reminders from the government, church and environmentalists were no match for these hardened litterbugs.
The culture of throwing discards wherever and whenever it is convenient again spoiled our time-honored tradition of remembering our departed relatives. Some people were sitting or praying next to piles of garbage that could pose health risks – an unsettling sight scarier than Halloween costumes and ghosts. Among the discards typically left by cemetery visitors were disposable food and beverage containers (paper, plastic and Styrofoam), food leftovers, snack packs, plastic bags, used matchsticks, cigarette butts, and soiled papers. Sidewalks, street corners, vacant lots and desolated graves became instant dumping grounds for uncaring visitors.
It’s okay to leave flowers in the cemetery, but not garbage. Cemeteries are places of prayer, not dumpsites. It is unacceptable to leave trash, big or small, in the final resting place of the dead. It’s not only disrespectful; it is a downright assault on the environment of both the living and the dead.
This pervasive littering that again tainted the nation’s long-standing tradition of paying respect to beloved deceased family members and friends makes a mockery of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Some people conveniently forget that the law prohibits and penalizes the indiscriminate disposal of waste. Worse, the enforcement of this law is very lax, and this encourages individuals to strew garbage on hallowed resting places.
The ban on littering appears to be the most ignored and violated provision of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Don’t we have any sense of environmental responsibility and commonsensical good manners at all?
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