Solidarity Statement of the Philippine Dioceses on the Lifting of the Ban on Open-Pit Mining in South Cotabato

Greetings of peace!

We are forwarding you the attached Solidarity Statement against Tampakan Mines from the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP) /Caritas Philippines asking for support and signatures of the bishops and dioceses.

You may send your reply/consent through email or via text message to:

Ms. Jing Rey Henderson
Head of Communications and Partnership Development Office
ECSA-JP/Caritas Philippines
email: caritasphilippines@gmail.com / mjrhenderson@outlook.com
mobile: 0905-5469-977

Sincerely in the Lord,

Msgr. Bernardo Pantin
Secretary General

As we celebrate Laudato Si’ Week, we join with the people of South Cotabato and the surrounding provinces in expressing our strong opposition to the decision of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of South Cotabato to amend the ban on open-pit mining.

This decision threatens the ecological integrity of the place that for years provided and sustains all forms of life; putting in danger the watersheds of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and Davao del Sur.

Lifting the ban on open-pit mining in Tampakan will hugely affect the long-term viability and sustainability of the watersheds that provide ecological services to the people of South Central Mindanao, now amplified by the effects of climate change. There is no such thing as development at the expense of the poor and the earth.

We unite our voice with the people of South Cotabato and the different sectors of civil society in appealing to Governor Reynaldo Tamayo, to veto the amendments, listen to the people, and ensure the constitutional rights of the people to a healthy and balanced ecology. 

To the people of South Cotabato, to the indigenous people who participated in the public consultations, rallies, and protests against the lifting of the ban, and to those persecuted and humiliated  for their stand against open-pit mining, may you find consolation with these words from Pope Francis in Laudato Si”:

“I want to recognize, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home which we share.” LS 13

This statement is inspired by the latest pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines in 2022, “A Call for Unity and Action amid a Climate Emergency and Planetary Crisis”,  which states that the “church commits not to support any activity that leads to promoting destructive mining, recognizing the suffering it has brought and continues to bring upon the environment and affected communities.”

In this time of pandemic and climate disaster, protecting the ecological integrity that sustains and provides for all forms of life is an indispensable action to ensure the future generation.

Truth is the Voice of God

Contrary to popular belief, “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” is not a Church doctrine.

Yes, we are told to respect authority and public officials. Yes, we are told to follow the Law and to work for the Common Good of our respective communities and nations. And yes, we are also taught to value democracy and all its fruits: the recognition of human rights and dignity, and the power of the ballot, among others.

But there are times when the Voice of the People – even if they speak in astounding unison – cannot be mistaken for the Voice of God. There are times when people are misled by lies, or threatened by force, or rewarded for believing what they know to be untrue.

I think this is very relevant today as we reconcile ourselves with the outcome of the recently-concluded elections. Not merely because I am disappointed with its results, but rather because I am concerned with what they mean for us as a country moving forward.

What I find most concerning is our relationship with truth. The advent of social media has made the spreading of information easier and more convenient, but it has not made the information more reliable. Throughout these elections, many problematic opinions and downright false news and information have proliferated in order to attack certain people and lift up others.

Of course, this is nothing new. Studies from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC), and other reputable academic institutions have noted the prominent role of Youtube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter in increasing the media reach of national politicians, most notably the presumptive President in providing “alternative facts” related to the history of his family and his own alleged misdeeds.

I am also no stranger to the fact that many relationships have been fractured by debates and discussions on what is true and what should be believed, and the actions which historical facts should entail. I feel the frustration in every person who, upon wholeheartedly trying to convince the other to not fall for lies on the internet, was just met with a dismissive plea to “respect” the other person’s “opinion.” But I also understand why people find some truths hard to accept.

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2021 Global Climate Report warns of alarming record temps

World map  (©bogdanserban – stock.adobe.com)

In its new ‘State of the Global Climate 2021’ report, the World Meteorological Organization says the past seven years have been the hottest on record and that greenhouse gas concentrations, sea-level rise, ocean heat, and ocean acidification set new records in 2021.

Vatican News
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the new “State of the Global Climate 2021” report on Wednesday in Geneva, warning that the past seven years have been the hottest years to date and that four key climate indicators set new records last year.

The report will be used as an official document for the UN Climate Change Conference 2022, known as COP27, taking place in Egypt in November.

According to the report’s findings, the indicators of sea-level rise, ocean heat, greenhouse gas concentrations, and ocean acidification, set unprecedented highs in 2021.

Action required immediately

Despite illustrating the grim reality of how climate is changing in unprecedented ways, the report suggested there are “many options to alleviate the impacts, through both mitigation and adaptation.”

Even if adaptation improves, the text cautioned that climate change will worsen unless the underlying drivers are addressed. Only if all sectors and regions greatly and immediately reduce emissions, it stated, will it be possible to keep warming below 1.5° C.

Underscoring the harsh reality presented in the document, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also issued his own video message, stressing, “Time is running out.”

Renewable energy transition

He proposed five “critical actions” to jump-start the renewable energy transition, including renewable energy technologies, such as battery storage, being treated as essential and freely-available global public goods.

While calling for securing, scaling up, and diversifying the supply of critical components and raw materials for renewable energy technologies, he urged governments “to build frameworks and reform bureaucracies to level the playing field for renewables” and “to shift subsidies away from fossil fuels to protect the poor and most vulnerable people and communities.”

Guterres also said that private and public investments in renewable energy must triple to at least $4 trillion dollars a year.

“If we act together, the renewable energy transformation can be the peace project of the 21st Century,” the UN Secretary-General said.

Warning that “without renewables, there can be no future,” he urged both public and private leaders “to stop talking about renewables as a distant project of the future.”

“As today’s report makes clear, it’s time to jump-start the renewable energy transition before it’s too late”

Lasallian brothers elect Filipino superior general

PHOTO FROM LA SALLE GLOBAL

By CBCP News
May 18, 2022
Manila, Philippines

The French-founded Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools have elected Brother Armin Luistro as their new superior general.

Luistro becomes the Lasallian Brothers’ 28th superior general and the first Filipino to hold the global position.

The election took place May 18 at the religious institute’s 46th general chapter in Rome.

Typically held every seven years, the election comes eight years after the previous government was elected in 2014 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Luistro joined the La Salle Scholasticate, the academic training centre of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, in Manila in April 1979, while studying at De La Salle University (DLSU).

He received the religious habit in October 1981, professed his first religious vows in October 1982 and his final vows in May 1988.

The 60-year-old started his teaching career at De La Salle Lipa in Batangas, where he worked as a religion teacher, class counsellor and campus minister from 1983 to 1986.

In August 2000, he co-founded with Indonesian BishopJosef Suwatan of Manado, the De La Salle Catholic University in Manado, now known as De La Salle University-Indonesia.

Luistro has more than 34 years of experience in both the private and public sectors.

From 2010 to 2016, he served as secretary of the Education department. Prior to this, he was at the helm of De La Salle University in Manila, serving as its president from 2004 to 2010.

In previous years, he also served as president of the De La Salle University System and several other La Salle schools. From 2017 to 2019, he returned to serve as President of De La Salle Philippines, the network of La Salle schools in the country.

He is currently a board member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the largest business-led non-governmental organisation in the country. In May 2019, he was appointed Brother Visitor of the Lasallian District of East Asia.

Luistro has also held various positions in other governmental and intergovernmental organisations, such as the Advisory Council of the National Youth Commission, the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines and the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO).

Luistro holds a Doctorate in Educational Management from Saint La Salle University in Bacolod and a Master’s Degree in Religious Education and Values from De La Salle University in Manila. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Humanities from DLSU.

CBCP head: Fight against social evils must go on

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP President.

By CBCP News
May 18, 2022
Manila, Philippines

The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has called on the faithful to keep the fight against ‘evil’ in the society going.

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David stressed the need to “keep a good attitude” and remain focused on issues that affect the nation “as we move forward together”.

“We should not surrender our hope to the forces of evil at work in our society,” David said in a message released a week after the country’s local and national elections.

The recent polls, the bishop said, had “made more obvious” the factors that continue “to challenge our democratic institutions”.

He was referring to “well-funded trolls” behind massive disinformation and rampant vote-buying “now made easier by online cash transfers”.

But if there’s anything to be hopeful for, according to him, “it’s the reawakened sense of patriotism among many sectors in Philippine society”.

The CBCP head, who is also the bishop of Kalookan, particularly cited the young people “who have discovered the power of solidarity for the common good”.

“Their desire to give a more concrete expression to responsible citizenship as the key to achieving good governance has been strongly manifested in their many spontaneous acts of volunteerism,” David said.

The prelate even went on to call it as “a rediscovery of what we used to call ‘people power’.”

“Now it has to be harnessed through the creation of well-thought out, well-planned, and better organized mass movement that will not only protect our democratic institutions but will also contribute proactively towards community development on the grassroot level and the formation of a better, more mature political culture,” he said.

New saint’s little miracle from Philippines meets pope

Angel Marie Vier Albaracin, 6, attends canonization of St Marie Rivier who allegedly cured girl of fatal condition

A photograph taken on May 15, 2022 shows a tapestry depicting French Catholic nun Marie Rivier (L) and Italian Roman Catholic nun Maria Francesca Di Gesu Rubatto during a canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square. (Photo: AFP)

By Joseph Peter Calleja
May 16, 2022

A Filipina child “miraculously” cured by a French nun was presented to the pope on May 15 during the canonization of ten new saints at the Vatican in Rome.

Angel Marie Vier Albaracin was healed in a miracle attributed to Saint Marie Rivier, a French nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation, according to the Congregation of Saints’ Causes.

Angel Marie, 6, from Bohol province in the central Philippines had been diagnosed with hydrops fetalis, a serious condition when an abnormal accumulation of fluid builds up around the lungs and the heart.

Angel Marie’s mother prayed to Saint Marie Rivier to heal her, according to Vatican reports.

“At first, the doctors did not believe that she would get well and were surprised when they became convinced that she was indeed free from the condition,” a cousin of the child, who wished to remain anonymous, told UCA News.

Bishop Abet Uy of Tagbilaran diocese in Bohol province witnessed the canonization at the Vatican.

“Who would expect that a little kid from Barangay Nahawan in Clarin, Bohol would walk in St. Peter’s Square and be near the Holy Father. This is called grace, a gift from God,” he said on Facebook.

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