EDITOR'S NOTE: THE SEASON OF SHOWING UP
There’s a saying that “no news is good news,” which means that all is well in the world.
Well, perhaps not quite.
It has been an extraordinarily eventful few months, and sometimes it feels as though the news comes at us faster than we can absorb it. Wars and conflict continue thousands of miles away. Extreme weather events have devastated communities. An ongoing global energy crisis has driven up the cost of fuel, travel, food and practically everything else. Closer to home, disturbing images of waterways choked with garbage have forced us to confront an environmental problem that can no longer be swept aside.
Biblical Proportions
One can’t help but wonder and shudder at the devastating floods we have witnessed around the world and here in the Philippines in recent months. Some have been so unbelievably catastrophic, almost of biblical proportions.
In August, a glacial flash flood in the Himalaya/Nepal-Tibet region wiped out mountain villages. In September, severe storms battered Southern Brazil with flooding, powerful winds and large hail. In our own backyard, relentless monsoon rains brought severe flooding to Benguet, Metro Manila and Central Luzon, leaving communities underwater.
And then we wonder if all these events are somehow connected, and if, perhaps, the Universe is sending us a message.
Before we get all doomsday about it, this was typhoon and hurricane season in many parts of the world. What is alarming is how increasingly devastating these events seem to be. Whether seasonal, climate change, global warming, or all of the above, weather extremes are taking their toll, and the world is taking notice.
In a recent interview, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged the changing reality, saying, “This is the weather that the climate scientists had been warning us [about] for one generation. We have climate change, we have heavy rains, we have severe weather so we have to adjust.”
But are we doing enough?
And then there are the wars. Beyond their devastating human toll, they also leave long-lasting scars on nature through pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and habitat destruction.
Recent incidents of violence involving young people have also raised troubling questions about the world our children are growing up in.
And yet, here on Boracay, another season is beginning.
We have weathered another intensely challenging low season, sustained in no small part by our domestic travelers and overseas Filipinos who continued to visit during the leaner months. Six months into the national energy emergency, we are still grappling with severe price volatility following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East conflict. Some businesses have struggled; some have temporarily closed their doors. Everyone has had to adjust.
Changing Winds
But now the winds are beginning to change. Amihan brings calmer and clearer waters.
And with the approaching peak season, we look forward to welcoming back visitors from around the Philippines and the world. Hopefully, they will come in droves!
The new season is an opportunity to ask ourselves: What kind of Boracay do we want them to find?
A beautiful beach, certainly. But beauty alone has never been enough.
Boracay learned that lesson the hard way eight years ago, when the island was closed for six months for rehabilitation. Environmental responsibility belongs to all of us, including the person holding the plastic bottle, cigarette butt or food wrapper.
Small Things
October is National Mental Health Awareness Month, while World Animal Day falls on October 4 and World Kindness Day on November 13. We mark these occasions with stories about mental health, responsible pet ownership, and my favorite: children telling us in their own words what kindness means.
Kindness is something everyone understands. So is compassion, looking after another human being, caring for an animal, checking on someone who seems unusually quiet, or simply putting down the phone long enough to really listen.
Small things? Perhaps. But communities are built on small things.
Showing Up
We are reminded of that poignantly in our special tribute, as Boracay remembers Nenette Aguirre-Graf, whose passing in August left a profound void on this island. As our community learns to carry the loss, we find purpose in continuing the good work she started and drawing inspiration from her legacy.
Just one of my many great memories with Nenette (Boracay SunCruiser, 2022)
Nenette showed up for Boracay, for its environment, for its sports community, for causes she believed in and, most importantly, for people. She spoke up, sometimes loudly, brought people together and had an uncanny ability to turn conversations into action.
As she liked to say: “Simple!” Perhaps it really can be.
We do not have to solve every problem in the world before we can make our little corner of it better.
We can show up. Speak up when something isn't right. Pick up after ourselves. Take care of our surroundings. Be responsible for the animals entrusted to us. Watch over our children. Check on a friend. Support a struggling local business.
And be kind.
As another peak season begins and Boracay once again welcomes the world to its shores, may we remember that what makes an island beautiful is not only what visitors see when they arrive.
It is how we take care of it, and how we take care of one another.
Welcome back to Boracay. May it be a good season for us all.
Padayon! Vibe high, dive deep!
Peace and good vibes,
Freida Dario-Santiago
Editor-in-Chief
Boracay Sun News is committed to presenting all sides without endorsing political or social agendas. Information is accurate as of publication and written and edited by real people, not AI.
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