Young Roots
For Water is Life
By Johanne Margarette R. Macob
I WAS looking at some old photographs then I noticed a common element: water. It seems that I’ve been in love with water for so long now. LOL. There are pictures of me or my loved ones with a beach or a river, a lake, or falls in the background. Then I started wondering if it’s true that “where there’s water, there’s life.” That led me to writing this article.
I’m not the only person who’s aware of the value of water, not just the aesthetic aspect but the pragmatic as well. We do have a number of good leaders that still greatly consider water as a priority concern in governance. For years now, the provincial government as well as the Dagupan City government have been very responsible in cleaning the rivers and waterways and demolishing illegal fish structures among other measures, which consequently won us regional awards for environmental excellence.
The efforts of the government, particularly of the province, when it comes to our bodies of water, not to mention that of our aquaculture and fishery industries, has been consistent.
Just last Monday, the first regular session of the 8th Sangguniang Panlalawigan came up with an approved resolution that “authorizes Governor Amado Espino Jr. to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for the implementation of the Fisheries Industry Enhancement Program in the province of Pangasinan.”
If the program is well implemented, then — while improving the aquaculture and fishery sectors — it will likewise generate employment opportunities, that would mean further improvement on the poverty rate and perk up the river systems, which would mean better ecotourism as well. There’s one proof that “where there’s water, there’s life.”
Further, through the program, the Dasol Bay in southwestern Pangasinan will be converted into an aquaculture park which I believe is a very remarkable and innovative idea. If I’m not mistaken, we still don’t have yet something of that sort. In addition to the water improvement drives, last May, the governor shared his plan to make the Agno River, specifically at the Bañaga Bridge area in Bugallon, as a watersports facility.
All these endeavors will further boost the economy (with investment and employment), ecotourism, and our pride as Pangasinenses. That’s another proof.
The long wait for these (insert all the good adjectives here now) projects for our ‘waters’ will soon be over, I hope. Oh how I (we, I suppose) will love the water — our own water — better!
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