It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods.May we be enlightened by these words lifted from the text of Laudato si’: Laudato si’ is a call to protect the vulnerable that includes the fishermen living in places where their livelihood depends on.įor the ‘parapadagat’, the sea is their life. Moments like these my mind reflects on Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate change, the Laudato si’.įor me, Laudato si’ is a prayer. The look was a mixture of gratitude and hint of uncertainty. May the Great Spirit of the Seas preserve and protect his family and the rest of the families living in the long stretch of the coast of my hometown, Bulusan.Īs I leave, I noticed and captured the look of the young fisherman wistfully looking far off to the sea. I chimed in with the optimism but deep in me the conversation running in my mind were streaming in a different light. Vicente’s modest hut has this uninterrupted view of the Pacific Ocean standing at around 10 meters from the shore line. The local seabirds he named easily ( I was not able to catch the vernacular name) completely agreed with their noise dominating the ocean sound while they feast on their catch. God forbid!įor now, this thought I kept only to myself as I listen to the young fisherman sharing enthusiastically stories about the variety of his bountiful catch, enumerating the several names of local fish species abundant in our shores : turos, bungdo, angol, mamsa, marara etc. And one can imagine where this hut would end up if ever a category 5 typhoon will hit the area. the waters can reach up to there” (pointing to the shore less than five meters from where we were sitting). I have no problems with the days not good for fishing…these days happen only in less than a month for the duration of one year.” How about during storms? Pause. We sell those we can’t consume for our other needs. “ My catch is more than enough for me and my family. All I have to do is take a little walk along the sea shores of my hometown (photos).Īll I have to do is listen to this fisherman’s unwavering faith in the sea. So says the emailed report re COP21 in my email box today, Deceminformation given to readers of an environmental news publication that I subscribed to.īut for me the rhetoric whatever the tone is real. The rhetoric was lofty, planetary, grave.” “From Barack Obama and Xi Jinping to the heads of tiny Pacific island states, they took to the stage in Paris today to tell the world they would act. Hard-earned nylon nets and a banca are essential assets for Vicente, a local fisherman. * Blackbox Series: Blackbox-V, Blackbox-UĢ Pin G Shape Earpiece Headset with Ptt Mic for Motorola cls1110 * Motorola Spirit Series: SV10, SV11, SV11D, SV21, SV12, SV22, SV22C, SU210, SU22, SU22C, SU220 VHF / UHF Spirit, Spirit Pro, Spirit Pro+ Compatible motorola cls1110 earpiece Models: