7 Isabela priests stage hunger strike vs illegal logging

MANILA, Philippines - At least seven Catholic priests in Ilagan town in Isabela province started last weekend a hunger strike to protest illegal logging in the area.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Monday that the priests staged their day-long hunger strike last Saturday at the St. Thomas de Aquinas parish.

In a statement on its website, the CBCP said the priests urged the national government to act and stop the widespread illegal logging in Isabela.

Fr. John Couvreur, ecology desk head of the social action center of Ilagan diocese, said illegal logging financiers and their supporters in the government have exploited tree cutters, locally known as bugadores.

Some 100 local residents went to the San Mariano parish and skipped lunch to sympathize with the clergy.

While staging the hunger strike, the priests con-celebrated Mass attended by more than 200 lay leaders, residents and members of various civic groups in the province.

Former American Vice President Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and a video presentation on aerial surveys done by non government groups and members of the Isabela anti-illegal logging task force on the extent of destruction of forests in Isabela were shown to the public.

Poster-making, oratorical and drama competitions on environmental protection were also held for students, Couvreur said.

Earlier, Church groups in Isabela initiated a movement to support the government's ongoing crackdown against logging activities in the forests of the Sierra Madre.

Meanwhile, a Church-based group in Lucena City lashed at environment department officials who have alleged links with illegal logging criminals in the area.

"We beg to withhold participation from such a monitoring team as of now. We do not think it will help fight illegal logging," said Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona, head of the Prelature of Infanta, and Fr. Pete Montallana, chair of Task Force Sierra Madre, in a letter to Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. dated Aug. 13.

The church officials said the faithful are reluctant to work with DENR officials, as there is doubt that unscrupulous employees from the agency’s local office have been in partnership with illegal loggers operating in Sierra Madre.

The CBCP had also issued several pastoral statements in the past on illegal logging and environmental hazards prevalent in the country. - GMANews.TV