A number of cyclists are expected to join the upcoming nationwide “Caritas Bike for Kalikasan,” which will be led this year by the Archdiocese of Lipa in Batangas province.
Now in its second year, preparations for the environmental activity on October 7 are spearheaded by Caritas Philippines and the Lipa Archdiocesan Ministry on Environment (AMEn).
Bikers will traverse from the Montemaria Pilgrimage Center in Ilijan town to the Lagadlarin Mangrove Forest Park in Lobo town.
The national Caritas initiative is part of a continuing engagement with their partners, stakeholders, and communities for “ecological transformation,” especially during the Season of Creation.
The Caritas Bike for Environment was first held in October 2022 and coincided with the launch of its “bamboo forest” project.
The initiative aimed to plant at least five million bamboo trees nationwide over the course of five years as a way to help mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
In 2019 and 2022, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines released two pastoral statements that listed concrete actions the Church must take ‘to protect and save our common home from further destruction.’”
In response, Caritas Philippines initiated the creation of the Church and civil society organization convergence for ecological initiatives (Eco-Convergence).
In 2020, they also convened the CBCP National Laudato Si Program with 10 CBCP episcopal commissions and the Laudato Si Movement – Pilipinas.
In June 2022, during the 42nd National Social Action General Assembly in General Santos City, the national Caritas and the Social Action Network collectively decided to focus on ecology as one of the network’s strategic directions.
