It is well and
good that Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has enjoined Filipinos
to elect leaders who care for the environment and have clear programs of action
on environmental protection.
Tagle's remarks
follows close on the heels of the issuance of a papal encyclical on the
environment in which Pope Francis urged people to care for the Earth.
We know, of
course, that global warming and climate change, the result of wanton
destruction of the environment, are responsible for various disasters, such as
flooding and landslides, that exact a heavy toll on lives and property. And
unless the destruction of the environment is stopped, then all efforts to spur
economic and social development would come to naught.
"We should
ask candidates to present views and platforms in the area of environment but we
should watch out because platform related to environment will have political
and business components," Tagle said.
The cardinal
also raises questions about official pronouncements of the country's rapid
economic growth, saying it's not really progress if many people are still poor.
"They say
there is real growth but what type of growth is it if the great majority of people
do not benefit? Can you consider that growth?" We agree with him
wholeheartedly.
With the 2016
polls just around the corner and the nation already preparing for a political
exercise to choose the next set of national and local leaders, the politicians
in our midst will no doubt promise heaven and earth to the electorate just so
they will be voted into office.
But perhaps
these politicians should once in a while stop listening to the sound of their
own voices and heed the wise counsel of spiritual leaders to remind them of the
real challenges that we need to confront and the urgent problems that we need
to solve. –End-
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