Church groups ask Digong: Protect environment

MEMBERS of a Catholic movement called on incoming President Rodrigo Duterte to prioritize environmental protection, in line with Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” that urged all Catholics to “care for our common home.”

Speaking on Saturday at the celebration of the encyclical’s first anniversary at the University of Santo Tomas, leaders of groups participating in the Global Catholic Climate Movement Pilipinas urged Duterte to “make the cause of environment a benchmark of his leadership.”

“We have written a letter to Duterte [asking him] to declare our island ecosystem a no-mining zone,” said Yolanda Esguerra, national coordinator of Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc., a network of nongovernment organizations and faith-based groups.

“Talks on the environment should be taken seriously, especially when it comes to mining because we’ve seen how much destruction it brings,” Esguerra said.

Fr. Edwin Gariguez, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ National Secretariat for Social Action, expressed hope that the incoming administration would “push for renewable energy and review the existing contracts of coal-fired power plants and coal-mining companies.”

Another group, the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines, urged Duterte to focus on the country’s waters, which it said have also been polluted by mining and quarrying activities.

They said Duterte could adopt harsher penalties for those who violate environmental laws, similar to his unrelenting war on crime.