He knew what he was talking about as his people lived in harmony with nature and preserved the former magnificent rain forests that covered these beautiful islands until the beginning of the century. There is so much for us to live for, the breathtaking beauty of the sunrise on the hills and valleys, the rush of the mountain streams and rivers, the awe-inspiring variety of wildlife that still inhabit this planet and the wonder of evolution observed in the vast variety of species. Nothing can lift the human spirit to praise the source of life as can an ocean sunset. When we leave the concrete jungle of the city and immerse ourselves with nature, we can be renewed and strengthened and come alive with a love of life on earth in all its forms.
Last April, when we celebrated Earth Day, we renewed our commitment to protect the environment that sustains life on earth but which we humans are destroying faster than it can possibly recover. When we see and learn about the destructive damage to plants and animals and human beings by the chemical pesticides and industrial waste that poisons the soil and food chain and pollutes the atmosphere, we will realize that these practices can bring on cancers and diseases. Then we cannot remain silent. This realization motivated me to get PREDA fair-trade to start a movement to encourage small farmers to produce organic mangoes and also to establish our own organic training farm. There, the young people rescued from prison can recover and learn skills and grow healthy food.
Even consumers that buy foods produced with harmful pesticides and chemical ingredients are part of the problem and harm their own health too. Gardeners who unthinkingly spray harmful pesticides don’t realize that they are killing microorganisms, insects and eliminating the food chain of many creatures. Consider the great loss among the butterfly, bee and bird population of the UK alone. British scientists say the evidence of these losses is “strengthening the hypothesis that the natural world is experiencing the sixth major extinction event in its history.” (www.sciencemag.org)
For all who treasure the Earth as the source of life and beauty, there is much to be done to preserve and protect it from the destructive ways of human kind. In the Philippines, there is a growing environmental defense network that challenges the corrupt politicians and government officials that allow the destruction of the rain forests by business cronies. They have mobilized the responsible ones, the common people and the church to take a determined stand to stop the environmental disasters due to logging, irresponsible mining and the increased use of coal burning power stations. All these have contributed to global warming and climate change.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines focused on these three areas in a statement last November 5, 2008 titled “Upholding the Sanctity of Life.” It refers to their previous pastoral letter of 1988 on the environment that called on the people “to protect endangered ecosystems like our forests, coral reefs and mangroves, and to establish just and humane communities.” In the November letter, the Bishops said: “The Church joins in the collective and continuous call against the uncontrollable plunder of our natural resources. Above all, it calls on a moratorium on mining activities until the government and the mining companies learn to uphold the right of the indigenous peoples, compensate the affected communities for past damages, and ensure responsible mining practices.”
The Bishop’s letter, among important things, calls for a total logging ban and the immediate reforestation of destroyed ecosystems and greater efforts to change to renewable energy sources. “Earth Day” has to be everyday, and we all need renewed efforts to implement positive earth-saving life-styles. The bishops ended their pastoral letter as they did in 1988 with these words: “There is an urgency about this issue which calls for widespread education and immediate action.”
