MANILA, Philippines — When Anna Rosario Oposa was still a young girl, her dad would bring her and her siblings to reforestation projects, illegal fishing raids, and other environmental missions. After all, her dad is no ordinary father. Her dad is Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and Philippine environmental law pioneer, Atty. Antonio Oposa, Jr.

“My dad is an environmental lawyer, so I guess you could say that my exposure to the environment began when I was still a fetus,” the 23-year-old quips. “But of course, when you're a kid you don't really think about these things as extraordinary because you grew up with it. You don't see it as a ‘passion’ because it was the norm.”

Her family would travel around, exploring the beautiful places in the country. They would do spelunking, island hopping, trekking, and diving. In fact, Anna, her dad and three brothers are all licensed scuba divers.

“This kind of co-existence with nature contributed greatly in being an environmentalist, because there is greater motivation to protect things and places that you have fallen in love with,” she says.

So it comes as no surprise that Anna would become the environmentalist that she is now. She was recently picked by Yahoo! Philippines as one of the Pitong Pinoy, a search for seven modern-day heroes who have remarkable contributions to society and made a difference.

Anna is currently involved with The Law of Nature Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit foundation established by Anna’s father to promote environmental law education and enforcement. She is also one of the people behind Save the Philippine Seas, a blog that post stories on marine and marine wildlife protection.

Not an environmentalist

However, Anna does not consider herself as an environmentalist. Even her course in college is far from the environment. Anna is a BA English Studies graduate from University of the Philippines-Diliman.

She says, “The funny thing is, I never saw myself as an ‘environmentalist’. I didn't wanna go into the same path as my dad, because I'd have a lot to live up to and I'd always be compared to him. I want to be my own person.”

She admits that her love for musical theatre came first before anything else. Back then, she would spend her summers in theatre and dance workshops. She had voice lessons every week for about 10 years and she even did a couple of shows for Repertory Philippines and Stages.

But in 2007, suddenly, everything changed.

Anna skipped an examination to go to the beach for a dive and participate in a trash pick-up drive. What she saw underwater sealed her fate and she vowed to be an environmentalist for life.

“It was one of those Aha! moments. I saw all sorts of trash 60 feet underwater — diapers, plastics, car parts. I was disgusted and disappointed. I was like, ‘Okay. I need to do more.’ I haven't done a full-length musical theatre show since 2008! I miss it sometimes, but I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. Passions change all the time, and that is not a bad thing,” she shares.

Since then she’s been working with her dad and her friends, trying to change the mindset of people, one step at a time.

“Like I always say, I feel like work in this field is like dancing cha cha – one step forward, one step back, and at the end of the day, it feels like we haven't moved at all. There is so much work to be done in so many environmental issues: waste management, marine protection, mining, climate change, etc. Everything is an area of concern, because we live in such a beautiful country.”

Apathy, she says, is the worst enemy.

" I think the most important issue to address is apathy. We need to start caring about this country and its resources so that we are moved to action. When I say ‘we’, it's we as a people. Not just the government, but the entire nation,” she says.

Save our seas

Anna is in charge of law compliance and enforcement, policy and advocacy for The Law of Nature Foundation. Since its establishment in 2002, the Foundation has grown into a network of volunteer citizens working for the conservation, protection and restoration of the Earth, especially the patch of sea unparalleled in its beauty and bounty: the Visayan Seas.

The ocean is one of the major concerns in environment protection. The recent reports on coral destruction in the Mindanao seas prompted the establishment of Save the Philippine Seas blog.

“The blog has definitely helped in increasing awareness and spreading information. Response has been very positive. We've been receiving lots of emails, tweets, even Facebook personal messages about marine-related news, both good and bad,” she shares. “That's what excites me that people my age are sitting up straighter and asking what they can do,” Anna explains

Anna has been busy sending out letters to organizations on the current environmental concerns. Although not all are responsive to their calls.

“Sometimes the authorities just pass me around, hugas kamay sa responsibilidad. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying, because other people listen. For instance, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources didn't act on my requests, but Sen. Miguel Zubiri did,” she shares.

She also puts her efforts in school like the Isko Cleans UP (ICU) project which aims to implement waste management in UP by banning styro as food packaging and by holding monthly recyclables fairs. “We also taught over 1,000 students/staff members/admin on solid waste management. We were even hired to teach it to corporations and other schools.”

The Law of Nature Foundation also has this project called the School of the SEA (Sea and Earth Advocates), an experiential training center that focuses on the environment, renewable energy, and sustainable living. Since its establishment in 2007, it has successfully educated nearly 10, 000 people, ranging from students, local government officials, young professionals, and lawyers. It is located at Alice Beach, Barangay Ocoy, Bantayan Island, Cebu.

Do your part

She says that the most challenging parts of this all is getting the government do its job faster; reaching more people; getting more to care and do something.

“If we worked harder to implement our environmental laws, we'd be in a much cleaner and greener country. Filipinos need to be reminded that we are one of the most vulnerable countries, that we have the potential to lead in the adaptation and mitigation because of our resilience and ingenuity, and we have to stop waiting for the government officials to do everything. Or even to do something,” she says.

“I'm not naman anti-government, and I do acknowledge the fact that the government is important in making big changes happen, such as passing legislations and enforcing the law. But very few of them are genuinely concerned about the environment, and it shows. I think I've been able to move forward faster than others because I don't pin my hopes on the government. With or without their support, I do what I can,” she adds.

She says change starts with each one of us. Simple things like not throwing cigarette butts, segregating waste, buying locally-sourced products to decrease carbon footprint, and likewise not supporting products we know are harmful to the environment.

“As a people, we have to stop being lazy! It's not hard to bring an ecobag or bayong to the supermarket/palengke. It's not hard to refuse straws. We have to change the way we look at the lifestyle changes; we can't keep thinking change is a hassle, is an inconvenience. We can help the government by complying to the laws, and the environmental orgs by participating in their events,” she says.

This country, this seasoned traveller affirms, is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

"I dove in Mexico and Thailand, and I'm telling you--nothing compares to what our marine life has to offer. If we learn to love our own country, we'd be able to protect it better,” Ann ends.