MANILA — Catholic bishops have warned that the shift to cleaner energy must not come at the expense of indigenous communities, their ancestral lands and the environment.
Bishop Moises Cuevas of Calapan, chairperson of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP), and Bishop Prudencio Andaya Jr. of Cabanatuan said the growing demand for critical minerals must not justify displacement, environmental destruction or violations of indigenous peoples’ rights.
“A greener future cannot be built upon injustice,” the bishops said in a joint statement for the national celebration of Indigenous Peoples Sunday on October 11.
They called for genuine free, prior and informed consent, environmental protection and meaningful participation by indigenous communities in decisions affecting their lands and livelihoods.
The bishops warned of threats from extractive industries, large-scale infrastructure, fossil fuel expansion and climate change, saying indigenous communities often bear the brunt of environmental damage, flooding and drought.
They urged government agencies to protect ancestral domains, enforce environmental safeguards and ensure accountability in development projects.
The statement highlighted the Aeta community in Sitio Bacao, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, whose members were displaced by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
With Church support, the community rebuilt its life through reforestation, communal gardens and livelihood projects, helping restore the environment, the bishops said.
“Indigenous peoples are not merely beneficiaries of assistance but partners, bearers of cultural wisdom, and active agents in shaping their future,” they said.
The bishops also raised concerns about discrimination, loss of livelihoods, threats to cultural identity and inadequate implementation of existing protections for indigenous communities.
They called on civil society and the public to support community-led initiatives and defend indigenous rights, stressing that environmental protection must go hand in hand with social justice.
The national celebration, led by the ECIP and the Diocese of Cabanatuan, concluded with the planting of indigenous and endemic trees near the Bacao Mission.
The bishops said the Church’s commitment must extend beyond the annual observance through sustained support and concrete action to protect indigenous communities and their ancestral lands.
