Catholic Church leaders in the Philippines welcomed the words of Rodrigo Duterte, the president of Philippines, about his promises to the country, in which he mentioned that mining would not be allowed and no activities which would harm the environment in the country will be encouraged. On 24th July, 2017, the President urged the citizens to protect the environment and vowed to increase tax on mining to compensate for the suffering of affected communities.
As reported by ucanews.com, Fr. Pete Montallana, a Catholic priest in the environmental activism in the country asserted that, “The appointment of well-meaning people to serve the environment has not been signed and the oligarchs are again gaining the ground.” Environmental group Kalikasan stated that “Duterte gave the same old lip-service on mining and the environment that is lacking in substance.”
The most intense climate of impunity has been created in the country due to the anti-narcotics war and military campaigns of Rodrigo.
Source: www.ucanews.com
