By B.B
For Horizon

Palau is a developing country. Everyone is looking forward to the day when most people, if not all citizens, would have higher incomes and improved standards of living. But all these also mean that bulldozers would be needed to clear lands for roads, public facilities, housing areas, and commercial establishments. As a people, we also want our future generations to remember our past. We have to protect those things that symbolize our presence on these islands through the ages. We want our descendants to know about our history and to be inspired by it. This can only be done if we take deliberate actions to preserve, protect, and properly manage the vestiges of our sojourn on these islands over the centuries. They can be found all around us.
The opening of many sections of the Babeldaob Compact Road and the recent move to the new Capital at Ngerulmud in Melekeok have highlighted the urgent need to record and publicize Palau’s historical sites and important artifacts so that appropriate public programs could the developed and funded to protect and preserve them. Some well-known sites, particularly those on Koror such as the Mariculture Center at Malakal, some vacated office buildings, and the former Olbiil-era-Kelulau building, may already be facing maintenance problems. These facilities, including the Supreme Court Building, the original Museum complex, and the building that presently house the Bureau of Lands and Survey, should all be preserved and protected because they are among the oldest buildings in Palau and are some of our most important historical sites.
Some natural areas, such as the Rock Islands, the Rois-ra-Etiruir, Ngerdok Lake, Ngardmau Waterfall, the mangrove forests and the water sheds on Babeldaob all should also be designated as important national landmarks. They must be protected and preserved for future generations along with the historical sites. Whether we like it or not, Palau figured prominently in a world war over sixty years ago, which was a traumatic and historically critical experience for the Palauan people. World War 11 bunkers, armament sites, and battle debris are found all over the archipelago. These sites, along with other historical sites and natural areas, could be designated as National Parks. They could be opened for visitors, both locals and tourists, if meaningful regulations with reasonable fees were developed to protect and maintain them.
Watch out for kids playing ball on the streets
The baseball season for the summer time has arrived and many youngsters are playing ball everywhere they can find space to throw and catch their ball. You see them most days on the front yards of their homes, in parking lots, and even on the sides of our busiest roads. All vehicle operators are requested to pay particular attention to those areas that children use as playgrounds so that they may avoid injuring a child accidentally.
The schools in Palau will shortly be out for summer vacations and our streets would soon be filled with little ones riding their bicycles or playing their versions of major league baseball. If you see a ball flying or bouncing into the street from somewhere, be prepared to stop at once because, more often than not, there will be a little Babe Ruth behind that ball who would not bother to check if there is a speeding vehicle coming his or her way. Let’s protect our children at all times.