By Digoy Fernandez

(*Ramon V del Rosario Sr)

When I heard that Ramon del Rosario Sr, or Tito Monching as I have known him all my life, or RVR for the purposes of this blog, passed away, I truly felt a sense of sadness. First, RVR and Tita Millie were long-time family friends of my late parents. Second, my parents and their friends had many shared experiences both professionally and in their subsequent exploits in the field of civic action. Third, I had originally planned on digging up many of the gems of their past activities through personal talks with them, hoping to dredge as many of these memories as I could. Unfortunately, many in this pioneer band of friends passed away one by one even as I contemplated the project.

When the intrepid band of young and idealistic men gathered to form what would become the Manila Junior Chamber of Commerce (now known as the Manila Jaycees) sometime in late 1947, RVR was elected as the charter president for the following year. Then, they chartered several other chapters all over the Philippines, and RVR became a natural choice for charter president also of the incipient national organization. But this band did not rest on their laurels because they then set forth to organize Jaycee chapters all over Asia, including the Tokyo Jaycees and the Japan Junior Chamber! By this time, the Philippine group caught the attention of the international organization and the 5th JCI World Congress was slated for Manila in 1950. In that meeting, RVR was elected as the President of JCI, the first Asian to be accorded such an honor.

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By Digoy Fernandez

AT the risk of offending some of my colleagues who are in the mining industry, I guess I will have to just state the obvious: There will almost always be a severe conflict between the needs and/or operations of the mining industry and the need to protect the environment, especially in relatively pristine areas where the Web of Life is already at a fragile state. Unfortunately, very few mining concerns bother with the niceties of keeping their operations sustainable while at the same time taking steps to avoid degrading the environment they work in.

Among the more serious problems that environmental activists accuse some miners of are: the clear-cutting of new and old growth trees to provide a venue for their facilities; the violation of the rights of settlers in the lands to which they have mining claims; the disposal of mine tailings directly into adjoining rivers or land; the lack of proper safety mechanisms to protect the lives of those working the mines; etc.

Most good mines, by their nature, are located in mid or highland areas. Clear-cutting results in the loss of precious topsoil and the many flash-floods that the lowlands are subject to precisely because there is no longer any soil to absorb the water from strong rainfalls. Clear-cutting also destroys animal and floral habitats, rendering many a precious site useless to future generations of Filipinos. Worse yet, is the combination of clear-cutting and strip mining, especially if the place is left as is by a predatory mining concern.

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By Digoy Fernandez

THE mention of waste segregation and the decision not to use incinerators for getting rid of trash just made me think of something unusual: Medical Waste.

Many years ago, I used to go to daily mass in one of the country’s better hospitals because it was very near my office then. Until I bumped into a friend who also went to daily mass, sometimes in the same hospital chapel I would go to. My friend is in the insurance industry and is known as one of the more honest adjusters around, giving accurate assessments of fire and other damage in behalf of insurance companies. He asked me if I also had the habit of bringing my son to said hospital, knowing full well that this particular son was practically my shadow and companion in many an adventure and activity. When I answered in the negative, he said simply: “Good.” And then, he explained why he thought bringing children to hospitals is not such a good idea.
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By Digoy Fernandez

THE heading of this particular blog is sure to jolt a few sensibilities given its pretty sweeping characterization of the Filipino’s penchant for abusing many of the God-given attributes of this country. I had not planned on writing on the topic of the unfortunate trees in Plaza Roma, but something just clicked and “made me do it”!

First of all, I will not make any accusations against the two major parties — Bambi Harper and Secretary Lito Atienza — involved, not only because I know them well, but because I know that the fault sometimes lies elsewhere. When I read about the contractor that supposedly massacred said trees instead of following the instructions to ball some of those worth saving, I was reminded of what happens all too often when ignorant workers proceed to “trim” branches of trees. Supposedly to prevent them from hitting electric wires or from becoming too extensive and dangerous in times when typhoon winds can cause them to break and cause damage.
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