Call for Signatories: Junk Permit for Commercial Propagation of Golden Rice

Oppose all developments that will advance the green revolution and the corporate capture of food systems

Aug 4, 2021
MASIPAG Advocacy

Greetings!

Last July 21, 2021, the Department of Agriculture of Philippines approved the permit for the commercial propagation of the highly contested GM yellow rice, called ‘Golden Rice’ (GR). Several CSOs, experts, and other concerned individuals gathered to craft an action plan on how to combat Golden Rice in different areas and platforms.

We attached a unity statement reiterating our calls to junk the recently approved and railroaded permit, oppose other advances of the Green Revolution in the country, and end the corporate capture of our food and agricultural systems. We request that you and/or your organization become a signatory. We also request that you and/or your organization help us reach out to other audiences and potential allies in this campaign. This statement will be posted on our social media pages and website. This will also be presented in our activities.

For individual signatories, sign here: https://forms.gle/13GRghpY2aVcMS177

For organizations, you may upload your logos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Oewj6Z28bZPz6GDa11Tw5ElGxwMJkc8M?usp=sharin or you may send it directly to us.

The deadline for signing is on August 8, 8:00 PM.

Thanks,

MASIPAG

Last July 21, 2021, the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) approved the commercial propagation of GR2E, a genetically modified type of rice that it calls Golden Rice due to its yellow color. The approval blindsided the broad coalition of Filipino farmers, consumers, scientists, lawyers, and the general public who have been campaigning for greater public participation, transparency in the results of the biosafety process, and independence in the risk assessments of this GM product given rice is a daily staple in the Philippines and its production has profound impacts on health, the environment, the economy, and Philippine society and culture. Neither Da-BPI nor the Philippine Rice Research Institute has given any in-depth satisfactory response to the Filipino public’s request.

On August 9, 2021, 10 AM, the Stop Golden Rice! Network is hosting a press conference to provide various perspectives on this surprise approval of GMO rice for production and consumption. The Philippines is being hailed for being the first government and country in the world to commercially grow, distribute and eat this GMO rice. Is it really a cause for celebration…or concern? Did the joint agencies follow regulatory procedures or were there lapses? What are the legal implications of this latest move from DA-PhilRice? What are the immediate and long-term impacts of GMO rice in the Philippines on Filipino people, especially the local rice farmers and poor households who are at the crosshairs as the growers and consumers of this GM food? How does this affect the local rice industry on top of the Rice Liberalization Law? Are there other sectors that may be gravely affected by the GR2E propagation?

To offer a holistic perspective, the press conference will be joined by doctors, scientists, lawyers, consumers, farmers, and local government leaders.

#DefendOurRice
#FightForOurRights
#FoodSecurityForAll
#StopGoldenRice

Marriage is the icon of God’s love for us- Pope Francis

Vatican News- English

“Marriage is a precious sign. It is an image of God’s love for us. This does not mean that the love spouses have for each other must be perfect… No love is perfect. But the love spouses have for each other is a dynamic process that progresses and improves with time over a lifetime. This is why marriage requires fidelity. Marriage lasts forever”. The Holy Father speaks  about “foreverness” in marriage, in this fifth video of the 10-part series prepared as part of the celebration of the «Amoris Laetitia Family» Year. This time Pope Francis addresses himself particularly to spouses.

“Don’t be afraid to fail: fear is the greatest obstacle to welcoming Christ and His plan for our lives! Be careful of fear!”, the Holy Father powerfully warns us.

The Holy Father’s reflection is this time accompanied by the personal testimony of Donato and Francesca, an italian couple. Donato: “The gift of His Love makes the ‘forever’ possible of two fragile, limited and wounded creatures”. Francesca: “Our forever is a gift above all. We as a couple are especially aware of this when we struggle in building our loving relationship, but it is precisely here that we see the intervention of Grace” –  the spouses say.

A series of 10 videos inspired by different chapters of the Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia”, encourages to re-read this papal document and to rediscover the family as a gift for its members, the Church and society.

Each video, accompanied by a pastoral guidebook divided in four parts, can be used flexibly either by families or by various ecclesial groups to nurture reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice as well as to families in their spiritual and concrete daily lives.

This pastoral resource is an initiative of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life in collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication, as part of the initiatives of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year.

Voters Education of the CBCP -Episcopal Commission on Youth through Young Davids Program

Diocesan Youth Councils
National Councils of FNYO Member Organizations

Dear fellow youth ministers,

Greetings in our Lord Jesus!

The Young Davids program of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Youth is conducting a non-partisan voter registration and education campaign.  The CBCP-ECY seeks to partner with you to promote value-based civic engagement to prepare our young people for this coming May elections.

Our voter registration campaign is based on the “Tamang Kandidato sa Eleksyon 2022” (or “TamaKa”) module of Bawat Isa Mahalaga citizen’s movement for godly governance.  The TamaKa module is a 2-hour interactive and facilitated voter education session.  Its aim is to lead young learners to appreciate the value of voting as their right and responsibility as Filipino citizens, and of democracy as a gift and a stewardship from God as followers of Christ.

We offer to share the TamaKa module for implementation in your setting.  A commissioned team of facilitators will train leaders of your ministry to implement the module among your members (young people/ youth leaders/ youth ministers).  This is free of charge without any obligation on your part.

For your reference, please find attached:

1. concept brief for the TamaKa voter registration module

2. some photos of TamaKa workshops for different churches and religious organizations

May we hear from you: kindly read and then fill up this sign-up form to signify your interest in this offer–

https://forms.gle/7A8nJxPFWaAE3onJ7

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Stop 174-Ha. Reclamation in Dumaguete City

The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) raises grave concern to the proposed 174-hectare reclamation project and construction of the “Smart City” in Dumaguete City. The P23-billion Private-Public Partnership (PPP) project between E.M. Cuerpo Inc. and Dumaguete City Government is questionable at best, and catastrophic at worst.

The establishment of the “Smart City” mainly for profit-generation to the detriment of Dumaguete City’s marine biodiversity and which can lead to increased vulnerabilities to disasters, is not a smart move at all.

The evident disregard for nature masked as ‘development’ effort shall only add to the deep-seated problems in our environment in the long run. The pending destruction of Dumaguete City’s marine biodiversity, including whale sharks, coral reefs, and seagrasses, as well as alteration of its coasts is also a natural, man-made, food security, health, and waste management disaster in the making.

Reclamation activities disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems exacerbates impacts of climate change and weakening the city’s natural defense against it.

Displacement of sea creatures will adversely impact the natural food supply chain as well as their increased exposure to marine viruses that could give rise to potential zoonotic diseases, the same nature as the COVID-19.

Negative socio-cultural impacts are also in line as local communities are displaced along with their home environment and livelihood that depends on it. Additionally, increase in urban population and consumption also means increase in wastes and pollution.

To aggravate the situation at hand, just below the tip of the iceberg nestles a governance and sovereignty issue. The company E.M. Cuerpo Inc. is reported to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Chinese, non-SEC registered entity Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Co., granting the latter to be a sub-contractor of the reclamation for the so-called Smart City. A confidentiality clause was also reported to have been agreed upon by both parties, wherein all information should be kept confidential, and any disputes should be resolved in Singapore. Further, the meager Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) of the PPP agreement is yet to elucidate its sketchy provisions citing that the Dumaguete LGU will not be able to have a say on who will own almost half of the reclaimed area [1]. This is a clear manifestation of either a sloppy leadership or a selfish, greedy governance that prioritizes money over the health of the environment and its constituents.

WE CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF DUMAGUETE TO RETHINK AND RECONSIDER their decisions over the irreversible damage of the reclamation project not only on the coastal and marine ecosystem of Dumaguete, but from where those materials will be sourced out. The environmentally-conscious people of Dumaguete would not want mountains, hills and rivers in other parts of the country to be desecrated for their comfort.

WE CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES (DENR) to study thoroughly the impacts of this reclamation project and UPHOLD YOUR MISSION in protecting, conserving, and managing the environment and natural resources for the present and future generations.

WE CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY and initiation of real and inclusive public dialogues and consultations to hear what the people on the ground has to say.

WE DEMAND FOR AN ECOLOGICALLY-JUST GOVERNANCE that recognizes the intrinsic value and Rights of Nature, and thus puts forth sustainable and people-centered development over profit generation.

WE REITERATE the SECTION 2 of CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES that the public officials and employees shall at ALL TIMES be ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and UPHOLD PUBLIC INTEREST OVER PERSONAL INTEREST.”

WE SUPPORT THE CALL of different groups, individuals and the scientific community to hold public consultations in order to make informed and coordinated decisions regarding the outcomes and impacts of the proposed project to the people and environment of Dumaguete City.

LOOK and CONTEMPLATE on environment-friendly and less destructive development projects.

LISTEN and HEAR the voice of your constituents, the scientific communities and experts.

STOP and SCRAP the proposed 174-hectare reclamation project now!

[1] Pal, I. F. (2021, July 19). China firm tapped in Dumaguete reclamation project. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1461167/china-firm-tapped-in-dumaguete-project

Invitation to Good Governance Webinar on National Situation

27 July 2021

Dear mission partners,

Greetings of peace for Good Governance.

Understanding the existing condition on our socio-economic and political situation at the national level is very important to know what we would like to change in making our vote in the coming 2022 elections. 

Therefore, we have invited the Executive Director of IBON, Sonny Africa, to share with us the prevailing political and economic realities of the country based on their research and documentation, and how these influence the social, cultural and environmental aspects of our lives.

You are invited to join our Social Action Network in the Webinar on: National Situation – the context of our Vote in the 2022 Elections (NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Good Governance Webinar) on Thursday, 29 July 2021 at 9:30am – 12:00noon (zoom link will be provided to registered participants)

This Webinar is part of the series of CBCP-NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Good Governance webinars aimed at facilitating social consciousness towards establishing principled communities/ society.

For participation, please send the names and contact details of participants (mobile number and/ or email address) to our Good Governance Program Team at cbcp.nassajp@gmail.com or 09053519411 for zoom participation on or before 28 July to facilitate admission. The webinar will also be livestreamed in the NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Facebook Page.

Thank you and hope to hear from you!

CBCP-NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Good Governance Program Team
CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace

Program for July 29 GG Webinar on National SituationDownload

Pro Dialogo 166

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

Pro Dialogo 166 (LV) 2020-3 e-bookDownload

Rural Missionaries of the Philippines SONA 2021 Statement

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.  (Is 10:1-2)

At this last Sona of President Rodrigo Duterte, we, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, condemn the oppressive decrees implemented by the Duterte regime including the establishment of the NTF-ELCAC and the passing of the Anti-Terrorism Law that have led to the increased number of extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and harassments of people we work closely with, the peasants, fisherfolk and indigenous people.  

We say woe to this regime and hold it responsible for the brutal massacre of the 9 Tumandok in Panay, leaving grieving widows and traumatized children, and the leaders in the March bloody Sunday raid, they who dared to stand for their rights to their ancestral land and the right to a life with dignity of rural communities.

We say woe to this regime for the constant red-tagging of peasant and indigenous leaders, often leading to extrajudicial killings or arbitrary arrest based on trumped up charges.  We say woe to the regime for its use of dubious search warrants and to the justices who are complicit in this oppression particularly of the rural poor.  We say woe to the regime for its attacks on the indigenous peoples, including the Lumads and the forced closure of their schools.  We condemn the unfounded cases hurled to harass and unjust imprisonment of some of our members who generously give their time to help educate the Lumad children to enable them to live a dignified life, appreciating their own culture and traditions.

We say woe for the use of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act to freeze our funds, attempting to stifle our service to the rural poor.  Likewise, we condemn the freezing of the funds of the UCCP in Haran, again because the church has given shelter and solace to the displaced Lumads, empowering them to demand their right to peace and security in their ancestral lands.  We stand with all the peoples organisations, including peasant women, whose funds had been frozen to prevent their organizing, welfare and development work.

We will not be silenced as this Government becomes more and more oppressive, as the poor are made prey to a development aggression which only benefits the rich including those who sit in positions of authority in the country.    

At this SONA, we lend our voices to all those calling for an end to Duterte’s tyranny.  We demand justice, strong in the assurance that “the wicked will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb…For the Lord loves justice and will never forsake his faithful ones” (Ps 37: 1, 28)

RMP Leadership Team