Category: Documents

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9Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there…
12On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food.
Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail,
but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary.
Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

(Ezekiel 47: 9, 12)

“We irrevocably reject, once and for all, the proposed construction of hydroelectric power projects along the Apayao-Abulug River by Pan Pacific Renewable Power Corporation (PPRPC).” This is the resolution emphatically expressed and signed by more than 250 Isnags, consisting of tribal elders, leaders, and members of the Indigenous Peoples of Kabugao, Apayao on April 28, 2021.

Because the Isnags have safeguarded their ancestral territories, the province of Apayao remains a key biodiversity area and is home to one of the last remaining original forests of the Philippines. There are about 105 plant species, 91 bird species including the endangered Philippine eagle, 22 species of amphibians and reptiles, 13 species of bats and 19 mammal species that abounds in Apayao. The Isnags and the whole ecosystem of the province will be brought to naught when such hydroelectric power projects would push through.

If the Gened 1 and 2 dam projects would push through, not only the municipalities of the province of Apayao, particularly the towns of Calanasan, Kabugao, Pudtol, Flora, Sta. Marcela and Luna, would be affected but also the downstream four (4) municipalities of the province of Cagayan: Abulug, Pamplona, Ballesteros and Allacapan.

The PPRPC benefitted from the $3 billion loan between the Philippines and China in October 2016 during Pres. Duterte’s state visit to China. The Bank of China, one of the largest state-run financial institutions, funded the deal. PPRPC is one of firms that will implement the Build, Build, Build projects of the present regime.

By: Carol Glatz
August 11, 2021

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — What made Christian life radically new was the call for those who have faith in Jesus Christ to live in the Holy Spirit, who liberates from the law God handed down to Moses, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience.

Mosaic law was necessary and important to follow at that time in history, but it served as a path to follow toward an eventual encounter with Christ and his commandment of love, he said Aug. 11 to those gathered in the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican.

The pope continued with his series of talks reflecting on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, focusing on the apostle answering the question, “Why, then, the law” if, after all, “there is the Holy Spirit and if there is Jesus who redeems us?”

“The law is a journey” and it acts like a teacher that takes people by the hand, leading them forward, toward an encounter with Jesus and having faith in Christ, he said.

God gave Moses the law to prepare his people on this journey during a time of rampant idolatry and to help his people guide their behavior in a way that showed and expressed their faith and covenant with God, he said.

However, he said, the law was not the covenant; the covenant came first with Abraham, hundreds of years before Moses, the pope said. The covenant was based not on the observance of the law, but on faith in the fulfilment of God’s promises, he said.

St. Paul needed to clarify the role of the law to the Galatians because there were “fundamentalist missionaries” among them who seemed almost “nostalgic” about observing Mosaic law, believing that adhering to the covenant also included observing the Mosaic law, he said.

The apostle explains that, “in reality, the covenant and the law are not linked indissolubly,” the pope said. “The first element he relies on is that the covenant established by God with Abraham was based on faith in the fulfillment of the promise and not on the observance of the law that did not yet exist.”

“Having said this, one should not think, however, that St. Paul was opposed to the Mosaic law” because he does defend its divine origin and says it has “a well-defined role in the history of salvation,” the pope said.

“The law, however, does not give life, it does not offer the fulfillment of (God’s) promise, because it is not capable of being able to fulfill it. Those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfillment in Christ,” he said.

This was the problem — when people put more importance on observing the law than with encountering Christ, he said.

The Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc (PMPI) expresses its concern over the commercial propagation of the Genetically Modified (GM) crop in Golden Rice, as approved by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industries (DA-BPI).

The genetically-modified Golden Rice is likely to have unforeseen impacts on people, animals, and other plants’ health, biodiversity, and environment. It is also worrisome that agrochemical and seeds corporations would take advantage and control of the rice farming systems, which is a staple food of Filipinos.   This will be risky for small farmers’ local and traditional rice seeds. Instead of a monoculture crop, the government should continuously promote backyard and community gardening for diversify the sources of nutrients within homes and communities.

While we recognize the need to address the so-called prevalence of nutritional problems such as vitamin A deficiency, which some experts believe is just a myth purveyed by corporations who will benefit from this (VAD), it does not necessarily need to be addressed by an engineered crop, but rather through an eco-systemic approach such as agroecology, permaculture and sustainable agriculture which promote dietary diversification, improve soil health and condition, and are economically viable.

We assert the need for transparency on assessment results and the need for independent testing. We express our doubt on whether Golden Rice has the capability to address nutrient deficiency among Filipinos when other systemic issues such as the provision of affordable food, water, housing, and healthcare for all have yet to be fulfilled.

We raise the question of the necessity of Golden Rice when root crops and leafy vegetables other than rice can already provide Vitamin A. We raise the question of who will truly benefit the most from its profits and the corporatization of food systems that oppress and push our farmers into deeper inequality.

From 26 to 28 July 2021, Indigenous representatives and the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) mounted the State of Indigenous Peoples Address (SIPA). SIPA is an annual gathering that provides Indigenous communities the platform for giving voice to their struggles and aspirations.

On World Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we share the SIPA 2021 report which documents the key discussions during the gathering. The last section of the report, on the calls and commitments of Indigenous communities, is vitally important in responding to the plight of Indigenous peoples, one of the poorest and most marginalized sectors in the Philippines. Tagalog and Binisaya translations of the calls and commitments have also been produced and attached to this email.

SIPA 2021 was organized with solidarity organizations Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement, Lilak Purple Action for Indigenous Women, and Samdhana Institute.

For more information or clarifications, please write to us at lrckskfoeph@gmail.com.

Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Friends of the Earth Philippines

July 22, 2021

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue through the CBCP  is furnishing us with their publication Pro Dialogo Vol. 166 containing documents and reports of activities on interreligious dialogue.

This publication may be useful in deepening our knowledge and in promoting dialogue with believers of different religions and cultures.

Thank you.

LAIKO Secretariat