DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A group of Catholic nuns in Mindanao marked Earth Day with a call to protect the environment and uphold the rights of communities affected by economic projects that harm natural resources.
The Sisters’ Association in Mindanao (Samin) in a statement warned that climate change and ecological degradation are worsening, with Mindanao remaining a hotspot for mining, plantations and coal power plants that threaten food security and water resources.
They also point out that these activities have displaced over 4.4 million people in Mindanao — including indigenous peoples — from 2017 to 2022.
“Across Mindanao, mining, logging, agribusiness plantations, energy extraction, and large-scale infrastructure projects are being massively undertaken in collaboration with national and local government officials. Because of the large concentration of natural wealth in Mindanao—situated within the territories of the Lumad, peasants, and the Moro people—many communities are being uprooted and displaced,” the groups said.
Samin singled out Aboitiz’s Therma South Power Station, a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Binugao, Davao City, and the 300-mw Malita Coal-Fired Power Plant, owned by San Miguel Corporation which is now partially operational.
Both power plants have drawn opposition from environment and religious groups as they pollute water resources with its toxic by-products, despite claims from the companies that they produce “clean coal.”
From <https://davaotoday.com/environment/coal-still-clear-present-threat-to-davao-water/>
Environment groups claim the companies engage in “greenwashing”, and that the SMC owned power plant enticed residents with cash aid to gain support
Samin also raised concerns over attacks on environmental defenders, citing the 2024 Global Witness report that 134 of 298 land defender killings from 2023 were linked to the Philippine military, making Mindanao the deadliest region for environmental defenders.
“The struggle to protect Mindanao’s natural resources is a struggle for Life itself. Reverence of Creation necessitates resistance and struggle. We stand with the farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, and youth who oppose the destruction of their lands and territories. Filipino environmental defenders are today’s David who denounce the Goliaths of environmental destruction,” they said.
The group also raised the environmental impact of the US-Israel war on Iran, which “unleashed an environmental catastrophe.”
“The war generated 5 million tons of carbon emissions—equal to the entire annual carbon output of 84 nations—driven by the destruction of 20,000 homes, the burning of oil reserves, and the relentless fuel consumption of modern warfare,” it stated.
The burning of oil depots in Iran which resulted to “black rain” poisoned the air for millions in Tehran, the contamination of vital water systems, and the looming threat of oil spills in the Persian Gulf from struck marine vessels, a reminder that “every bomb dropped and every facility destroyed worsens our fragile ecosystems.”
Affirming its eco-feminist advocacy, SAMIN challenged power structures and called for the radical reversal of systems that exploit and oppress humanity and Creation, including wars of empire.
“Eco-Feminism calls on us to submit to a thoroughgoing conversion of self, congregations, communities, and institutions to reject consumerist lifestyles and the culture of domination in all our relationships,” it said.(davaotoday.com)
