Environmentalists in 6-day
tour in Zamboanga del Sur
The six-day activity, dubbed
as Philippine Learning Tour, will commence on Friday, August 1.
It will be spearheaded by the
People’s Defense of Patrimony Against Destructive Large-Scale Mining,
Enviromental Plunder and Development Aggression (PROTECT); Advocates for Peace
(AdPeace); and, church-based organizations.
Dipolog City Bishop Jose
Manguiran, PROTECT chairperson, said Wednesday the tour’s objective is in
pursuit of the gift of life and as expression of solidarity to the Indigenous
Peoples (IPs), whose ancestral domain was encroached by mining firms.
Manguiran said the tour is
also aimed to verify the reported violation of human rights and the extent of
damages within the IPs ancestral domain.
Manguiran said the six-day
environment tour is in response to the appeal from the IPs and non-IPs whose
ancestral domain was destroyed by mining firms.
He said among the places they
will visit are the mine site in Sitio Balabag, Barangay Depore in Bayog town;
Midsalip town, among others.
Philippine Independent Church
Bishop Antonio Ablon said God ordained the human beings to be the stewards of
His creation.
However, Ablon said that
today God’s creation “is groaning because many times human have failed to
become responsible keepers of what God has entrusted to them.”
He noted that the country is
rich in mineral resources and that foreign mining firms are taking advantage
“of our government’s subservient to foreign control and domination.”
He said investment in mining
by foreign firms greatly contributes to the destruction of the environment and
displaced the IPs who are the common dwellers of the gradually disappearing
green habitat.
Ablon explained this is the reason why “countless
have died” due to calamities and hunger. (PNA) 090114
0 comments:
Post a Comment