A Catholic bishop has blamed greed as a major driving force for the ‘misuse and abuse’ of the environment in Albay province, which was recently devastated by massive flooding.
READ: Catholic leaders in Albay blame quarrying, poor infrastructure for flooding
Bishop Joey Baylon of the Legazpi diocese lamented how some individuals pursue their “hunger for power and money” at the expense of people’s lives and the environment.
“Let us regulate our greed because it is greed that is running the show,” Baylon said in a press conference on Monday.
His remarks came as the province continues to recover from severe flooding that displaced thousands of families.
The diocese had earlier issued an open letter of appeal for the Marcos administration to investigate the “uncontrolled” quarry operations and other forms of environment abuses in Albay.
The letter also alleged that the impact of recent typhoons was worsened by “seemingly substandard infrastructure and the misuse of public funds.”
“Somebody has to be made responsible, because if nobody is responsible everybody suffers. Hopefully there will be some answers from their end,” Baylon said, calling for accountability from government officials.
The bishop also appealed to the public to join the call for “accountability and action” in the wake of the calamities.
“Hopefully we can have a bigger, massive movement of Albayanons saying ‘enough,’” he added. “There are other ways to solve our difficulties if we work together. And the government should be on our side.”
“So, let us hope together. But hope is also something that we do together. Let us walk together and make our hope realized, always with the help of God,” Baylon also said.