First, I’d like to wish everybody a Happy World Mental Health Day!

I know, sometimes it feels like the world is just turning and turning, and at the end of the day we just stare at the ceiling and sigh — it’s been another long and tiring day. Everyone’s tired, overworked, and quietly battling their own storms.

That is why we have to remind ourselves to pause for a while. No, this is not a crunchy wafer commercial where I will say, “Have a break, have a chitchat.” Kidding aside, we all need to breathe once in a while.

Admit it or not, lately, our country has been facing numerous disastrous events, including natural phenomena such as the big Cebu earthquake, typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng,” as well as man-made political action scenes involving massive flood control corruption, ghost projects, and even lawmakers fighting each other.

When every news cycle brings a storm or a scandal, how can we not feel overwhelmed? That’s why this year’s World Mental Health Day hits differently because, as Filipinos, we know how exhausted we are from grinding at work, facing the issues we encounter every day, but I would like to believe there is hope amid all the disasters. Just as storms ravage the land, well-tended ground recovers, growing back greener.

Yes! There are things that we cannot control but there are things that we can improve on to make our lives less stressful — like our environment! When the environment is cleaner, when communities restore rivers, plant trees, and heal the land, we, the people, can have space for clarity, calm, and connection. And when the world around us breathes, our minds get a chance to exhale too. Whew! Zen mode on.

This makes the maritime sector’s actions this month even more impactful. As the official host of 2025 National Maritime Week, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and maritime stakeholders didn’t just celebrate the oceans and communities — seeds were planted for the future. In partnership with Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Philippine Coast Guard, a pledge was signed to signify that we have only one fight for nature, the oceans, and the earth that we live in.

Aside from planting around 1,000 tindalo and molave seedlings in a one-hectare site at the La Mesa Watershed in Fairview, Quezon City in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Community Environment and Natural Resources Office and 120 maritime volunteers from participating agencies, a coastal cleanup along Manila Bay was also conducted.

Formally, the torch has been passed, Marina will handle the 2026 National Maritime Week, reaffirming its commitment to advancing sustainable development, strengthening stakeholder collaboration, and enhancing the maritime sector’s contribution to inclusive progress and climate resiliency.

Before I end this, I would like to greet PPA general manager Jay Santiago a happy birthday! Since 2016, GM Santiago has paved the way for making the ports green and sustainable. No wonder PPA ports have been winning environmental awards both here and abroad.

Kudos to the PPA and to GM Jay! In fact, more than 18 million mangrove trees have been planted since his assumption of office at the PPA. Have a wonderful celebration, GM; thank you for making the environment and infrastructure at the ports sustainable for future generations.

Again, we cannot solve the world’s problems, or even the Philippines’, for that matter, unless we first change our mindset. It all starts in the mind. But you can’t build a strong mind in a broken world. When the earth heals, clarity comes. When we plant seeds in the soil, we’re also planting peace in our souls. And when we walk together towards making this planet more livable, we are sending a gift to the universe while showing that we as humans are capable of healing and improving.

Take care of your minds, folks — garbage in, garbage out — for we are all in the same boat!