OeconoMedia

27/01/2025

When it comes to the issue of financing, most people immediately think of decisions and policies that would result in either a booming economy or high net income for corporations or individuals.

Yet, the concept of sustainable finance is not solely determined by higher or lower numbers, especially within the Catholic context.

Microfinancing is not commonly seen in the programs of many dioceses in the Philippines, except for a few.

Simbag focuses on providing loans and other products to aid in addressing issues such as education, family welfare, and disaster response

20/01/2025

Municipality of Sablayan made a declaration to transition its electric power source to clean, green renewables—an effort to help drive the tripling target of global renewables in 2030.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed today, January 20, in the presence of Mindoro Occidental Governor Ed Gadiano, Vice Governor Anecita Tayag, Congressman Leody Tarriela, Sablayan Vice Mayor Edwin Mintu, and officers of Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (OMECO), during the 123rd Founding Anniversary of the town and the 20th Fiesta Parangal of San Lorenzo.

Sablayan Mayor Walter “Bong” Marquez obtained an authorization by the Sablayan Municipal Council to enter into an MOU with the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ).

Municipality of Sablayan made a declaration to transition its electric power source to clean, green renewables—an effort to help drive the tripling target of global renewables in 2030. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed today, January 20, in the presence of Mindoro Occidental Governo...

17/01/2025

Allegations tying Bricktree Properties Inc., a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation, to armed guards in Marihangin, Palawan, have intensified community tensions, despite the company denying involvement in the area or its inclusion in their proposed ecotourism project.

Marihangin residents voiced strong opposition to the project during the May 2 hearing, with many refusing to sign attendance sheets over fears their signatures might be misused to imply support

15/01/2025

Human rights groups have condemned the arrest of three development workers in Negros, calling the terrorism financing charges against them baseless and a direct attack on grassroots initiatives.

PDG advocates for sustainable agriculture, disaster relief, and the rights of small farmers and fisherfolk

14/01/2025

The Catholic Church in Malaybalay in the southern Philippine province of Bukidnon condemned the ongoing injustices against the Manobo-Pulangiyon Kianteg (MPK) community, who have long struggled to reclaim their ancestral lands.

In a pastoral statement issued during the 53rd Priests and Consecrated Persons Annual Assembly, 134 priests and consecrated persons expressed solidarity with the Indigenous community.

“As members of the Church, we reaffirm our mission ‘to defend the rights of the Indigenous people, guarding them against violators,’” the pastoral statement declared.

“As members of the Church, we reaffirm our mission ‘to defend the rights of the Indigenous people, guarding them against violators’”

09/01/2025

The Year 2025 is a milestone for ecological action in the Philippines. This year, the government aims to update the country’s commitments to addressing the climate crisis, from reducing the pollution it produces to ensuring a just transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient economy and society.

This year marks the 10th year of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s letter that called on all people to take urgent action against the climate crisis

25/12/2024

"An angel of the Lord, bathed in light, illumines the night and brings glad tidings to the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:10-11). Heaven breaks forth upon earth amid the wonder of the poor and the singing of angels. God has become one of us to make us like himself; he has come down to us to lift us up and restore us to the embrace of the Father."

The Jubilee has now opened so that all people may receive hope, the hope of the Gospel, the hope of love, and hope of forgiveness

16/12/2024

A Filipino bishop appealed for aid for the displaced families after the eruption of Mount Kanlaon on Dec. 9, which forced more than 87,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, one of the areas impacted by the disaster, called for solidarity and tangible assistance for those forced to flee.

04/12/2024

The state of civic freedoms in the Philippines remains “repressed,” according to the People Power Under Attack 2024 report released Wednesday by the CIVICUS Monitor.

The study highlighted worsening conditions for human rights defenders and activists in the country amid a regional trend of crackdowns and restrictive policies.

The CIVICUS Monitor, which evaluates civic space conditions in 198 countries and territories, underscored that the Philippines is among the nine Asia-Pacific nations rated as “repressed.”

Worsening conditions for human rights defenders and activists in the country amid a regional trend of crackdowns and restrictive policies

27/11/2024

The Catholic bishops of Palawan have called for a 25-year moratorium on mining in the island province, citing serious concerns over environmental degradation and the impact on local communities.

In a pastoral letter, Bishop Socrates Mesiona of Puerto Princesa, Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Taytay and his predecessor, retired Bishop Edgardo Juanich, urged an immediate halt to the expansion of mining activities in the nation’s “Last Ecological Frontier”.

“We are calling for a 25-year moratorium or suspension on the approval of any mining applications and mining expansions,” the bishops said.

“We are calling for a 25-year moratorium or suspension on the approval of any mining applications and mining expansions,” the bishops said.

26/11/2024

During a recent Congressional meeting about a bill that will hold polluters accountable and penalize climate denialism, a representative from the industry sector boldly proclaimed that climate change is not man-made. He then claimed that they are one with all Filipinos in dealing with the impacts of this crisis.

No one who is truly in touch with the plight of the most vulnerable would ever say these words.

The scientific basis of the climate crisis has already been globally acknowledged for years. Our country recently went through six storms in just one month, including four storms along the Western Pacific at the same time, which has never happened before.

To the leaders [and staff] of big businesses and industries, you are invited to take some time to actually speak with the communities

25/11/2024

“What’s next after COP29? Philippine CSOs on the outcomes of the Baku climate negotiations”

The 2024 UN climate summit (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan resulted in outcomes that do not bode well for global climate action. Negotiations on key issues such as just transition and finance did not result in agreements needed by the most vulnerable countries and communities to avoid the worst of climate change impacts and achieve sustainable development. These would affect the next 12 months of climate actions of the Philippines, whose government has also identified Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which includes carbon markets, as a priority.

In this media briefing, a multisectoral and multigenerational panel of civil society and community representatives from across the country will present their insights on the outcomes of COP29. They will also state their analyses of how these outcomes would affect the Philippines’ domestic climate roadmap for 2025, which would culminate in updating its commitment for reducing climate pollution, known as the NDC.

22/11/2024

Environmental advocates and fisherfolk organizations marked World Fisheries Day on Thursday by calling for urgent measures to protect marine biodiversity, just days before the conclusion of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Dubai.

The groups highlighted the critical role of oceans in sustaining the Philippines, an archipelagic nation, and warned that fossil fuel developments are threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

“The Philippines relies heavily on its fisheries sector for food and livelihood. With the increasing threats to our oceans, fisherfolk and coastal communities are also at risk,” said Gerry Arances, Executive Director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED).

The advocates used the global climate summit as a platform to urge world leaders to prioritize vulnerable countries in the Global South

20/11/2024

Experts are sounding the alarm over a record-breaking typhoon season in the Western Pacific, linking the unprecedented activity to human-caused climate change.

For the first time on record, four named tropical systems—Typhoon Yinxing, Typhoon Toraji, Super Typhoon Usagi, and Super Typhoon Man-Yi—were simultaneously active in November, a month traditionally considered less active for storms.

The standout among them, Super Typhoon Man-Yi, demonstrated the strongest intensity, fueled by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures that scientists attribute to climate change.

According to the Climate Shift Index: Ocean, these elevated temperatures were made “up to 40 times more likely by human-caused climate change.”

20/11/2024

The road to just transition has begun in the Philippines. What's next?
Join us tomorrow as Philippine civil society and sectoral representatives discuss how just transition should proceed at and at the national and local levels.
The media briefing takes place on 20 November 2024, 1 PM (Baku time) or 5 PM (Manila time), at Meeting Room 13, Blue Zone, inside the COP29 venue.

18/11/2024

Kristine. Leon. Marce. Nika. Ofel. Pepito; these are the local names of the six most recent tropical cyclones that have hit the Philippines. However, these did not occur in a span of months, but within these past four weeks. And enough is enough.
Aksyon Klima Pilipinas will host a media briefing here at , for Philippine civil society and community leaders to demand accountability and climate justice to countries and national and local policymakers, focusing on loss and damage, climate finance, and just transition.

15/11/2024

Filipino activists and civil society leaders at the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, are pressing world leaders to secure concrete financial commitments to help developing nations combat the climate crisis.

Central to their demand is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), a financial mechanism to replace the $100 billion annual pledge

14/11/2024

14 November 2024
10:00am Baku time, 2:00pm Philippine time
Meeting Room 15, Blue Zone, Baku Olympic Stadium