Filipino Church rallies around bishop accused of barricading mining site

‘I speak only as your bishop to affirm what I believe with my whole heart: that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one cry, and that the Church will continue, as it always has, to listen.’

Filipino Catholic leaders rallied behind a 66-year-old bishop who faces a court case for allegedly barricading the proposed site of a mining project in the northern Philippines.

The Bishop of Bayombong Jose Elmer Mangalinao and eight others have been accused of “forcible entry” for “maintaining the illegal barricades” on indigenous lands in Nueva Vizcaya province.

The complainant is a local chieftain named Rosario Camma, although many other indigenous people have sided with the bishop.

The case was filed after residents installed barricades to oppose a mining project by the Northern Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation in Kasibu, a town in Nueva Vizcaya. 

Mangalinao had visited and said Mass for the residents in a show of support. Before this, the bishop had backed another anti-mining barricade in a different Nueva Vizcaya town.

“To care for the land is to care for the poor, for they depend on it most directly and suffer first and worst when it is harmed,” Mangalinao said.

The bishop clarified that he visited the residents “to accompany, not to direct” and “to comfort, not to command”. 

“I speak only as your bishop to affirm what I believe with my whole heart: that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one cry, and that the Church will continue, as it always has, to listen,” Mangalinao said.

Following Mangalinao’s statement, Church leaders across the Philippines showed solidarity with him.

The Bishop of Kalookan Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David commended Mangalinao for his courage. David said the bishop, who survived a heart attack four years ago, now faces “a different ordeal”.

“Whether fighting for his own life or standing up for what he believes is life-giving for his people, Bishop Elmer has never lacked courage – from fighting for his life to fighting for life itself,” said David, 67.

The Bishop of San Carlos Gerardo Alminaza, president of Caritas Philippines, expressed solidarity with Mangalinao and the people of Kasibu.

“Bishop Mangalinao’s actions reflect the pastoral responsibility of the Church to accompany people in their struggles and aspirations. The Church cannot remain indifferent when communities seek support in protecting the resources that sustain life,” the 66-year-old Alminaza said. 

The Catholic Church is one of the most vocal critics of large-scale mining in the Philippines. The country is one of the most mineral-rich in the world, and also one of the most dangerous places for environmental defenders.

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