IN THEIR desire to make a difference, a group of nature-loving organizations united for one goal— clean and preserve Manila Bay. It started out as an annual habit of cleaning the Manila Bay. Every September, this group get together to clean Manila Bay to reclaim its lost beauty.
In Feb 5, 1990, the group was christened, OMEGA Clubs, which stands for Outdoors, Mountaineers, Ecologists, and Green Association.
The name was conceived out of the shape of Manila Bay, which is quite similar to that of the omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, which connotes the end.
“It was (borne out of) a natural reaction among students of Manila, especially mountaineers (to help),” OMEGA’s convenor Dante Pasia said.
During the first five years of the organization, OMEGAns were only concerned with the areas around Luneta and Baclaran. But as the group grew in number, it was able to reach out to other places like the coastal areas in Pampangga and Bataan. The UST Mountaineering Club played a vital role in living up to the OMEGA Club’s mission. It tried to help Rosario, Cavite in cleaning the town and encouraging people to save the environment.
Lawyer Francis Nob, an environmentalist, was the first convenor of OMEGA clubs. In 1997, he left the club to enter the Divine Word Society (SVD) seminary. Since then, Mr. Dante Pasia leads this group of ecologists in encouraging more organizations from different institutions to join them in their mission to save Mother Nature.
You need not fill up a registration form or pay a fee to become a member. All you need is the desire to help save the environment.
Pasia constantly reminds the OMEGAns to take necessary precausions. He almost died of leptospirosis, an infection of an open wound caused by rat’s urine.
“Nagka-leptospirosis ako, muntik na akong mamatay. P100,000 ang nagastos ko, samantalang ang rubber boots ay P200 lang,” he said.
OMEGAns can be seen carrying their own garbage bag to collect every trash they see. They will take their own bags at home for segregation and for proper collection and disposal.
After every clean-up, the OMEGAns spend the night at the bayside and bond while waiting for the sunrise.
For 11 years, the OMEGA Clubs has been saving the sea from solid and non-biodegradable wastes, and sees no point why it should stop. In fact, it will be encouraging more youth to help in saving Mother Nature.
The group plans to coordinate with the media to make more people aware and cognizant of the environment’s deteriorating condition. Through this, it hopes that people will have the initiative to help preserve the environment.
OMEGA will also be organizing an alumni group help it financially.
It is a big world out there. OMEGA Clubs needs more hands to create a stronger force to fight nature’s destruction. “Kung mas marami ang tutulong, baka bukas, sa makalawa, malinis na ang Manila Bay,” Pasia said.
