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Religious leaders demand accountability for PH's socio-ecological crisis
Religious leaders demand accountability for PH's socio-ecological crisis
Religious leaders from different denominations joined forces to call for accountability from both government agencies and corporations regarding their role in the socio-ecological crisis that has impacted the Philippines.
For this year's Season of Creation under the theme "Let Justice and Peace Flow Like a River in the Midst of the Socio-Ecological Crises," religious leaders such as the Philippine Council for Evangelical Churches (PCEC), National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), and Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have united to demand justice, peace, and accountability from government agencies and corporations.
This is also to “urge them to impose sanctions on who is responsible for causing irreversible damage to both the environment and local communities,” John Din, National Coordinator of Laudato Si’ Movement Pilipinas said in a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
He pointed out that the deteriorating economic conditions, institutionalized corruption, the persecution, murder, and red-tagging of environmental and human rights defenders, extrajudicial killings, and the suffering of the affected indigenous and poor communities are because of “reclamations and mining.”
“We hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor," Din said.
Robert Samsion representing the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs (ECEA) of the CBCP commended the recent issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan on Aug. 16, by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) against Ipilan Nickel Corporation (INC), and Celestial Mining.
He emphasized that this legal step is the “right step towards holding accountable the concerned agencies and mining firms for causing serious harm to the environment.”
Meanwhile, Executive Director Rev. Aldrin Peñamora of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) Justice, Peace, and Reconciliation Commission (JPARCOM), praised the suspension of all Manila Bay reclamation projects while emphasizing the need for an Executive Order from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to ensure the projects remain suspended.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/10/all-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay-are-suspended-denr-czar-clarifies
In addition, Mai Taqueban, Executive-Director of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) stressed the importance of including civil society participation in the cumulative impact assessment of the Manila Bay reclamation projects conducted by the DENR.
“We call on the government to include affected communities in the review and the promotion of the common good as essential criteria for the conduct of the review,” she said.
Furthermore, the NCCP through Rev. Irma Balaba reiterated the organization's commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of marginalized communities and advocating for climate justice.
“We will continue to be bearers of hope to the victims and survivors of human-induced and natural disasters through accountable service while acting locally and speaking globally towards safeguarding of the environment and its defenders,” Balaba said.
Moreover, during the conference, various activities were announced including the Weekly Walk For (and With) Creation. This aims to highlight environmental concerns, sites of struggle, and sites of care, such as oil spills, Manila Bay reclamation, seabed quarrying, and the proposed Kaliwa dam.