" For some, the river is just a body of water and nothing more. But for others, it is the source of food, livelihood and drinking water. For them, the river is life in itself"
- yanx and vanz
 |
| Boac River seen from the Bridge |
Do you remember the Marcopper incident during the '90s? We were very excited to visit Boac River after more than a decade and see for ourselves if there is any improvement after the Marcopper mine spill. Years ago, we were not allowed to go near the river due to possible effects of the mine spill. We still remember severe skin irritation that our cousin experienced after swimming in the river.
 |
| Upstream |
Few hours after we arrived at Marinduque, our father invited us to visit Boac River. It came as a shock since we know the warnings of our relatives. Lo and behold! Boac River slowly breathing life!
 |
| Family portrait with Boac River as a background |
Before the Marcopper mine spill, the local folks remember the abundance of fish in the river. After the tragedy, horror stories abound and our relatives and townfolks still remind us of the environmental disaster until today. Although signs of life is evident in the river now, local folks said that it was never the same after the mine spill. Admittedly, we don't know the level of residual chemicals (if there is still any) in the river but we were so happy to see improvements.
 |
| Fish for lunch |
 |
| Relaxing in the river |
 |
| At last! Water, water everywhere.... |
Until today, relatives cautioned us not to swim in the river and remember to wash immediately if we do swim. Well, we just can't resist it! We tried dipping in the river. Our nephew, who obviously is his first time to dip in a river, said "baha, oh, baha" (baha is a tagalog term for flood!). He did not know that he is in a real 'river' and not a flood. So, a question popped in our minds, will our children see clean rivers or will it just be a memory of the past? Isn't it scary that the future generation will only experience flood and not a real 'river'. This generation should decide on that for the next generation. For now, we are sharing this video of our nephew singing in the river. We hope he can still do it in this river in the future.
Have a God-centered Holy Week!
Comments