Dear Beloved Bishops,
Greetings of Grace and Peace!
Please see below invitation of Kalikasan PNE. EBF is one of the convenors. EBF NL through the Regional Coordinator, Bishop Joseph Agpaoa and all other Bishops in NL have signified and vowed to accompany and journey with the people in Didipio. But we would like to emphasize that this fight for human and economic and socio-cultural rights of the IPs is not only for Didipio but for all indigenous peoples all over the country.
The struggle of the Indigenous peoples, Didipio in particular is not over yet as we have a government who is most interested to serve the interest of the capitalists and the oligarchs. Although the Provincial Governor of Nueva Viscaya, Gov. Carlos Padilla, is fully supportive of the Didipio struggling people, thanks to the contract of OCEANAGOLD with DENR that has ended June 20 this year, we should not take a back seat rather stand firm with them to push this government to reject OCEANAGOLD’s application for renewal of FTAA contract with the government through DENR and MGB for another 25 years. This will for sure lead to more devastation destruction and exploitation of our natural resources.
There are series of activities below. We hope that you will also extend this to your constituencies. Let us join hand in hand in accompanying the struggling indigenous peoples for clean water, ancestral land and self-determination.
Dear Fellow Defenders and Eco-Warriors,
In 2018, the Philippines was declared the deadliest country in the world for land and environmental defenders. Indigenous people, farmers, activists and other common citizens have been systematically targeted by murders, criminalization, and other threats for dedicating their lives to protecting mountains, forests, rivers, agricultural lands, coasts, and seas from extractive and destructive projects.
Environmental defenders, fallen and standing, are truly modern day heroes who champion the people’s rights to land, air, water, and natural resources necessary for genuine development. Their collective actions provide concrete solutions to the multiple crises of biodiversity extinction, climate disruption, and ecological collapse.
We thus invite you to a series of actions dubbed as Stand with the Heroes of the Environment! As we approach the commencement of the 25th UN Climate Talks and the world celebration of International Human Rights Day, we enjoin everyone to help spread awareness and generate support for the importance of environmental defenders’ work, the dangerous plight they face, and their just cause for change.
Our highlight activities are the following:
NOV 21 A Unity Walk in Baywalk – stand with coastal defenders opposing reclamation projects and pushing for genuine rehabilitation in Manila Bay
NOV 28 Environmental Defenders Congress Launch Forum – join environmental defenders across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who will discuss their exemplary acts of heroism in defending land and the environment
NOV 29 Global Climate Strike – the Envidefcon will join the Youth Alliance for Climate Action Philippines to highlight the important role of environmental defenders in addressing the global climate emergency we are facing
DEC 6 Save Nueva Vizcaya Forum – the Save Nueva Vizcaya Movement will host a gathering to spread awareness about the ongoing People’s Barricade against Oceanagold mining for its threats to land, water and biodiversity on which people’s lives depend
DEC 9 March of Indigenous People – national minority alliance Sandugo and indigenous federation Katribu will lead a march of indigenous people to protest human rights violations directed at their members and their ancestral lands
DEC 10 International Human Rights Day – we join various sectors in a mass demonstration joining the global commemoration of the defense of people’s rights
DEC 13 Defenders at the Lantern Parade – environmental defenders will join the University of the Philippines Lantern Parade to highlight their demands for justice as the UN Climate Talks closes on the day
Also attached is the campaign’s concept note including a full list of activities that different environmental defender groups and movements are organizing towards the closing of the UN Climate Talks.
If you are interested to join any of the activities, or if you have questions or points for coordination, please do not hesitate to contact the campaign secretariat at 356 2166 / 0917 562 6824 / enviheroesph@gmail.com.
Thank you and we hope for greater unities with you in the days to come!
For the People and the Environment,
