THE MERRIAM-Webster dictionary says that “moribund” is an adjective that means being in a state of dying or being in a state of inactivity or obsolescence.
Other dictionaries define it as “being in a state of death”, or “being in terminal decline”, or “lacking in vitality or vigor”.
All told, the dictionaries all say that “moribund” does not necessarily mean dead, at least not yet.
Going back to my days as a student of political science, I was taught that a “state” has four elements, namely territory, population, government and sovereignty. To that, I will now add culture, which of course includes language or languages.
I think that a “state” that does not have its own culture has no backbone at all.
There are about 120 to 195 languages in the Philippines, depending on who is counting, and what their criteria are. At any given time, no one really has any idea as to how many of these languages can already be considered as “moribund” or even extinct, which is the worst-case scenario.
Among others, I am particularly concerned about “Butuanon”, the ancient language of my hometown that could either be considered as “threatened” or “moribund” as the case may be.
Apart from a few passionate native speakers, very few seem to be seriously attending to its “recovery”, it being in the “emergency room” now.
REVISITING THE SACHET ECONOMY
Some environmentalists are blaming the manufacturers of sachet products for exploiting the poor, by making these products available in the market in such a way that the poor people are “tempted” to buy these.
I am still not sure which side to take on this issue, but I think that it could probably be a “cause and effect” situation, meaning that the low-income market was already there, and the manufacturers simply took advantage of it.
Looking at this from another angle, perhaps the manufacturers just found themselves in a “damn if you do, damn if you don’t” situation, meaning that they will lose money if they do not cater to the “bottom of the pyramid”, but they could also be blamed for excessive plastic pollution if they come up with too many sachet products.
One practical solution I think is to go back to the old “takal-takal” economy, wherein consumers would bring their own recyclable containers to buy cooking oil, soy sauce and vinegar, among others.
If they are willing to do that, then they should also include shampoo, and even liquid soap, and why not?
Take note that the operative word here is “recyclable”, meaning that the consumers should avoid one-way containers, otherwise that would defeat the purpose.
I am calling on all local government units nationwide to act on this matter as soon as possible./PN
