Progress has it's Price

No: 47-9

August 16, 2022

We went to the town proper yesterday which is 30 -45 minutes drive from our place for our regular market day to purchase items for our little store. We're not able to do it last week coz my son got sick and he does not want us to go without him. So now that he is fully recovered from his sickness we proceed on our delayed task.

As we travel i can't help but feel sad on the sceneries along the road. The used to be Beautiful Vast Rice Fields is now a field filled with water and water lilies. We call it now Field of Waterlilies.

Some parts are filled with waters for years. Road was constructed and was elevated about a meter and a half from it's original state to still have access to reach town proper when flooded. Our place is a catch basin of water coming from the North. That's why flood is a natural occurence during rainy season.

These are now the current condition of fields. Either full of water or waterlilies.

When i was still living in the city during my College and Office working years, i always look forward every weekend to go home here in our province . I love the aroma of rice about to harvest during summer. It was really nice to breath fresh air and smell the aroma of palay , nice to stare at the golden rice fields.

During planting season you will see men and women working hand in hand working in the field all day. Carabaos are used to plow fields. They will go to the fields in group before dawn. Bring their own food to cook for the whole day or their children will bring food for lunch and snacks. Planting rice while singing. You will see them again in groups walking home before sunset.

During my childhood years i experienced playing in the haystack with my sisters and cousins. After school hours we are running in the fields , lying on haystack covering our bodies with it then after we will regret coz it's itchy and rashes will appear in our little bodies but we will do it again the next day coz it's fun.

Those were the days. Gone are the beautiful ricefields and it's aromatic scent whenever we passed by along the road . Gone are the smoke coming from the burning hays that signifies the end of harvest season. Gone are the kids playing happily in the haystacks. Gone are the "Suso" or shells , "Talangka" little crabs , and other food we could get in the fields.

Vast fields are now filled with waters. Farmers can't cultivate the land anymore for many years. The farmers source of income and food are now useless for them. How sad it is how our government are importing rice as temporary solution for the lack of rice supply yet addressing the real problem of farmers are seem taken for granted. Long term solution are not given priorities focusing on the immediate ones that are merely temporary.

Owners of the land have no choice but to grab the offers of rich developers to buy their lands. Imagine buying it from them at 200 Php or approximately 4$ per square meter. How greedy they are to do that. Pointing and stressing out to them that their lands are hopeless and can't be use for planting again so might as well sell it to them at a very very low price so they could atleast earn money from it.

And since tbey really need money to survive their current situation they will give in. They will sell their land that they cultivated for years.

Now the developer will turn it to Subdivisions and they will sell it to 5000Php or 100$ per square meter or more. Clever is'nt it?

I understand progress is needed as years go by. But i dont know how they will be able to put back the price of rice at 25php per kilo if they are killing the agriculture industry little by little. If they will not encourage farmers to plant again. If there were no lands anymore to cultivate.

I guess being Self - Sufficient Country when it comes to food is a big progress. Agricultural sector should be improve and develop and should not vanish.

Progress is good , it is important and we all need it to cope with the fast changing world. But still, let us not forget our environment. The natural habitat of us and all living things in it. Let us give big consideration of the next generation that will going to live in it.

As quote " In an Underdeveloped Country dont drink the water. In a Developed Country don't breath the Air" - Jonathan Raban

I'm still hoping to breath fresh air in the coming years...

Thanks for reading.

Lead image from Unsplash

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