Paper Bags in Laguna. Get Real!

    Among many other issues which give the province of Laguna a bad image is the fact that paper bags are used in place of the more conventional plastic bags to the chagrin of the customers patronizing commercial areas. Walk into reputed supermarkets in the Sta. Rosa or Biñan areas and you would most certainly feel the “promdi-ed image” of the provincial areas. They are supposed to hold a reputation for advancement but they pack their customers’ purchased goods in brown paper bags.

    Hold the paper bag at a specific angle which does not coincide with the weight of its contents; and it rips apart too quickly. Carry it with one hand underneath and another forearm half-embracing it; the sweat from the skin would cause the paper material to become soggy and, most likely, allow any weighty materials inside to punch a hole through the fabric; e.g. a can of meatloaf, a bottle of champagne, or a cluster of fruits or vegetables. And pitiful are the mothers who suffer the dilemma and confusion of carrying their groceries or children home; or at least out of the supermarket/mall area.

    Is it because this is a “province” and the individuals in the location still believe in the ‘old ways’ and harmonizing with nature? Is this the reason officials put up restrictions or prohibitions on materials which they wish to blame for any difficulty or damages to the environment?

     Perhaps it is time the authorities in Laguna opened their eyes to reality and accept the fact that, ever since the industrial revolution came to be; this world already began to depreciate in environmental aspects; no matter how slow the process of destruction is taking. In the case of plastics in the said province; it is not the material that causes hazards to nature but, rather, the people that use them. Whether in Manila or the provinces, undisciplined individuals will be the very factor that makes the problems in the surroundings. (Maybe it would be better if these people who throw plastic materials in sewers and estuaries be the ones thrown in place of the trash instead; their corpses rotting faster than the non-biodegradable plastic?)

  The Laguna officials have to become aware of their territories, look at the sewer systems, streams, and other waterways and notice that wood, metal, Styrofoam, glass, and even dead animals clog the passages other than plastic bags. One specific example is a canal/stream/creek along the fork of the Old National Highway leading to the Sta. Rosa municipality on one side, and the Robinson’s Sta. Rosa Mall on the other. Other than the acclaimed plastic materials floating in it, there exists the presence of the above-mentioned objects.

    So why become so meticulously defiant against plastic bags? The people in authority pretend to be concerned about the environment, most likely, just to enhance their images as worthy candidates in the next election. Perhaps they should get out of their public offices and start directing traffic instead. From the length of the Robinson’s mall at the boundary of Sta. Rosa, all the way to the Olivarez intersection; vehicular traffic is the inconvenience of motorists and commuters. Have a few paper or plastic bags in the buses, cars or jeepneys; and it won’t make much of a difference as the collection of carbon monoxide created by the massed-up volume of vehicles caught in traffic.

    It has become a reality that this world has progressed by its own destruction. Global advancement became a truth when people began to exploit the world’s resources either for their own benefit or that of societies. Hence, maybe it is time we began to swallow the fact that mother Earth is inevitably headed for its demise; and we can only slow it down by creating laws and mandates to discipline people. But, then again, the know-it-all’s who come up with all these also have to consider the welfare of the masses; and avoid causing them inconveniences.

    Plastics are just one of the causes for the demise of the planet. It, this world; WILL end; and maybe we will be as extra-terrestrials looking for another planet to occupy when ours has passed. As with rubber, metal, glass, paper, etc.; the discipline with regards to usage and disposal of plastics should be put into practice, in order to buy this planet a little more time for the next generations…and not make it so frustrating for them to carry home their purchases.