5 May 2020
Quezon City, Philippines – With the easing of the lockdown in Mega-Manila and in provinces across the Philippines church and envi groups come together in a Webinar Series themed, “Imagining a Just and Green Recovery: An Online Conversation”.
The webinar, organized by Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) brings together people from the field of justice, faith, and environmental protection to dialogue on a just and green post-Covid society.
According to Yoly Esguerra, National Coordinator of PMPI, the webinar series takes its root from the wider global clamor for an immediate relief and sustainable recovery.”
MPI joined thousands of grassroots and civil society organizations to call for a just and sustainable recovery with the belief that the interconnection of ecological destruction, climate crisis, and inequality as the root of the pandemic.
Esguerra said, “We are challenged by this pandemic, but we hope to contribute to the global clamor by presenting to the public the Rights of Nature as a paradigm for our recovery and towards a better society.”
From March 15, 2020 Mega-Manila was put in a lockdown as part of the Philippine government’s attempt to control the spread of COVID 19.
The 1st of the Webinar Series was joined by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, principal author of Senate Bill No. 1097, “An Act Recognizing the Rights of Natural Ecosystems, Populations, and Process and Providing Mechanisms for the protection and enforcement thereof.”
Sen. Hontiveros during the webinar said, “The parallelism of Laudato Si and Rights of Nature is glaring. The Catholic Church can form a grass roots movement that they can shepherd that will not only help in pushing for the Rights of Nature Bill but also towards the internalization of the principles of Laudato Si.” She added, “Once we are able to pass the Rights of Nature Bill, change in peoples’ world view is already lived and present.”
Sen. Risa Hontiveros described our current world view as poisonous and murderous because humans have forgotten that if nature is destroyed, humanity will cease to exist. She concluded that there is a need to change our relationship with Mother Nature.
The PMPI along with NASSA/Caritas Philippines is advocating for a bill that will render nature as a rights bearing entity. The House and Senate versions of the bill are currently filed, awaiting its reading.
On its 2nd Webinar Series, the group with main discussant Fr. Danny Pilario is Dean, St. Vincent School of Theology – Adamson University opined that at the core our current debacle is injustice to our environment where the abuse of other life forms by humans is the norm.
Fr. Pirio said, “Our economic system which features rapid urbanization and creation of megacities, increase global mobility, coupled with deforestation for industrialization, and wildlife trafficking in favor for profit, all makes for our lopsided relationship with nature.”
The World Economic Forum in an article wrote that people have converted nearly half of the world’s land into agriculture. Tropical forests have suffered the most, with some of the highest rates of agricultural conversion over the last few decades.
At the end of his talk, Fr. Pilario outlines a four (4) theological framework for a post-Covid19 era – We need to change the metaphor of “War (against) Covid-19 to Care” to create a new reality; Enlist nature as part of the solution and not the problem through appropriate policies and actions to protect nature; Live a sustainable lifestyle and supporting sustainable economies; and, Re-reading our stories, from a human-centric view and towards ecological view where nature and wildlife are made visible and important.
The Webinar Series organized by PMPI hopes to encourage a collective rethinking towards a rights-based and environmentally sound “New Normal”. The next discussants of the PMPI Zoom Webinars will be Indira Lacerna-Widmann of Katala Foundation (June 2, 2020, 10:00 AM to 12:00NN) and Mari Margil of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights (June 4, 2020, 10:00AM to 12:00NN PHT).
