CEBU PROVINCE, July 12, 2021 --- I am glad to have not taken part in the first episode of a revived “Kabilin” which featured the threatened chambered Nautilus locally called “lagang” and the art form associated with it.
CHAMBERED NAUTILUS OR PEARLY NAUTILUS. PHOTO BY LEE R. BERGER of Wikipedia
I was assigned to help write for “Kabilin,” a magazine show on culture and heritage, produced by the Cebu Provincial Government, hosted by renowned historian Dr. Jose Eleazar “Jobers” Reynes Bersales. I am very glad of this assignment because this gives me the chance to communicate regularly with Sir Jobers which is a most reliable source on Cebu history, culture and heritage.
But there are certain advocacies I keep, such as letting Nautilus be.
So thanks I wasn't there yet when the story was pursued.
The Nautilus is harvested for its beauty. Some oceanographers in their documents posted online refer to this so-called beauty as dangerous since in the process of natural selection it is clear that the more beautiful a species appear to a human being, the more likely it is going to die.
The episode tackled on July 11 the growing scarcity of “lagang” and the floral art connected with it which is not that common anymore nowadays.
Lagang is an ancient species of mollusk that
evolved over 500 million years ago.
I know that while we appreciate arts and crafts, no artificial flowers can ever be worth on our altars if the price of losing our precious nautiluses is at stake. I hope people will come to understand that Nautiluses are there to decorate our oceans, not our walls.
The scarcity also ensues a jacking up of prices online at around P1,000 a piece which all the more threatens these beautiful marine cephalopods.
Newayz, here is the link to that episode for you to determine sentiments:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1653551388165412&ref=search
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