Diocese of Baguio - Commission on Environment

30/08/2026

💧🌿 YOU ARE INVITED! 🌿💧

Join the Diocese of Baguio as we open the Season of Creation 2026 with the theme “Living Water.”

🙏 Opening Eucharistic Celebration
📅 September 1, 2026 | 9:00 AM
📍 Diocese of Baguio Bamboo Sanctuary Educational and Demo Farm
Saint Francis Xavier Seminary, Pacdal, Liteng, Baguio City

📖 “Where the river flows, everything will live.”
— Ezekiel 47:9, 12

Let us gather in prayer and thanksgiving as we celebrate God’s gift of Creation and renew our call to care for our Common Home.

The Eucharistic Celebration will be presided over by Rev. Fr. Roland P. Buyagan and concelebrated by the clergy of the Diocese of Baguio.

🌱 Come and be part of our journey toward ecological conversion—immersing ourselves in the Living Water that gives life, healing, and hope to all Creation.

Everyone is welcome! 💧🌏🙏

29/08/2026

Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary Opens Season of Creation 2026 with “Living Water”

BAGUIO CITY — The Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary Inc. (MES) opened its celebration of the Season of Creation 2026 on August 29 with an Opening Eucharistic Celebration and a gathering of around 70 individuals and representatives of partner organizations committed to ecological care and social transformation.

Held at the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary Auditorium, the gathering brought together a diverse group from civil society organizations, churches from different Christian traditions, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, artists, health groups, youth organizations, athletes, and other sectors.

The gathering carried the Season of Creation 2026 theme, “Living Water,” inspired by Ezekiel 47:9: “Everything will live where the river flows.”

Finding Truth in a Time of Untruth

The Opening Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by Rev. Fr. Shierwin Cabunillas, who centered his homily on the importance of finding and standing for truth, drawing inspiration from the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.

Fr. Cabunillas connected the courage of John the Baptist in speaking truth to power with the realities confronting society today. He reminded participants of the danger of attempting to gain or maintain power at the expense of truth.

In reflecting on what it means to know and uphold the truth, Fr. Cabunillas highlighted the importance of transparency, reality, understanding, trust, and honesty. He challenged the faithful to look beyond appearances, recognize reality, and have the courage to stand by what is true.

His reflection added a deeper dimension to the Season of Creation celebration, reminding participants that caring for creation also requires honesty in confronting the realities affecting communities, ecosystems, and the common good.

“Water and You” Workshop

The Eucharistic celebration was followed by the “Water and You” workshop, facilitated by Sr. Teresa Dagdag.

Sr. Teresa presented the current global situation of water, highlighting the challenges surrounding the world's water resources and their consequences for communities and ecosystems.

Participants then took part in an interactive activity where they shared their own experiences and realities concerning access to water. The exercise helped connect the global water crisis with the participants' everyday experiences and highlighted the unequal realities of water access among communities.

Discussing Pax Silica

The gathering also featured a discussion on Pax Silica, with Ms. Lucy Ruiz presenting insights into its pros and cons.

The discussion encouraged participants to examine the initiative from different perspectives and consider its possible implications for technology, development, resources, communities, and the environment.

A Season of Shared Action

MES also presented its planned activities for Season of Creation 2026, while emphasizing that these are part of a wider network of celebrations and initiatives being undertaken by the Diocese of Baguio, Laudato Si Community of Baguio, Baguio City Ecumenical Environmental Council (BCEC), Caritas Baguio–Green Luzon Project, and many other partner organizations, parishes, communities, and environmental groups.

The activities throughout the season will include Eucharistic celebrations, environmental education, Laudato Si learning sessions, water-related discussions, ecological formation, art activities, and other initiatives that seek to bring different sectors together in caring for creation.

The August 29 gathering highlighted the growing collaboration among churches, environmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples, artists, youth, health advocates, civil society groups, and other sectors in advancing ecological awareness and action.

Inspired by the theme “Living Water” and Ezekiel 47:9, the celebration calls communities to recognize water as a gift of life and a shared responsibility.

Where the river flows, life flourishes—and communities are called to protect it.

🖋️ 📸 hzk
📆 Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary

28/08/2026

Opening of Season of Creation 2026 by Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary.

🌿𝙅𝙊𝙄𝙉 𝙐𝙎 𝙄𝙉 𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘽𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙊𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙊𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝘾𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉! 🌿

Let us come together in prayer and celebration through a Eucharistic Mass as we officially open the Season of Creation 2026 at the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, Inc. Auditorium.

📅 August 29, 2026 (Saturday)
🕣 Registration: 8:30 AM
📍 Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, Inc. Auditorium
#25 North Sto. Tomas Road, Campo Sioco, Baguio City
📌 Landmark: Lagpas Tiongsan, Campo Sioco

✨ Please come early for registration.

𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙍𝙎𝙑𝙋 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙨. 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙖 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙤-𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙛𝙖𝙣 𝗮𝘁 𝟬𝟵𝟲𝟯𝟳𝟵𝟬𝟯𝟳𝟬𝟳 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗼@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩.

Come, pray, celebrate, and join us in caring for our Common Home! 🌎💚🌱

🆂🅴🅴 🆈🅾🆄 🆃🅷🅴🆁🅴!

26/08/2026

Living Laudato Si Radio Program
with Rev. Fr. Mario Tambic and Rev. Fr. Bernard Agarpao, OFM

The Life of St. Francis of Assisi

26 August 2026

24/08/2026

🎨 Living Water Through Art
🫟 Saint Joseph, the Husband of Mary Parish Mankayan

Here are the creative expressions of the youth and parishioners of Mankayan from our Living Water: Weaving Hope for Our Common Future formation.

Through animal sculptures, patchwork, soil painting, and a collaborative artwork, the participants transformed their reflections on biodiversity, Indigenous stewardship, climate crisis, and our common home into art.

Each artwork carries a message. Each piece is a reflection. Together, they weave a shared hope for creation. 💧🌿🎨

24/08/2026

Mankayan Youth Weave Hope for Creation Through Faith and Art

MANKAYAN, Benguet — Around 50 young people, together with parish officers and parishioners, gathered on August 21–22 for a two-day ecological formation workshop that brought together faith, environmental education, Indigenous stewardship, and creative arts under the theme “Living Water: Weaving Hope for Our Common Future.”

The activity was organized by parish youth commission volunteer Rizanhel Lacsina and headed by Rev. Fr. Rene Macayan, bringing the Season of Creation 2026 closer to the parish community through a formation experience rooted in the theme of Living Water. The program was designed to help participants understand the interconnectedness of water, biodiversity, climate change, Indigenous wisdom, and care for the common home.

The formation sessions were facilitated by Hector Kawig, who led the discussions on ecological spirituality, the Laudato Si’ vision, the triple planetary crisis, Indigenous Peoples and climate resilience, and sustainable and regenerative practices.

The creative arts component was facilitated by artist and arts educator Rochelle Bakisan, who guided the participants through four activities that allowed them to transform their environmental reflections into visual expressions.

The first workshop, Animal Soft Sculpture, focused on biodiversity in water, inviting participants to reflect on the richness of life sustained by aquatic ecosystems and the threats posed by environmental degradation.

The second activity, Patchwork, invited participants to create their vision of an ideal common home, emphasizing how individual hopes and experiences can be woven together into a shared vision for creation.

The third workshop, Soil Painting, focused on Indigenous stewardship amid the climate crisis, connecting the participants' creative expressions with the wisdom of communities that have long understood the land and natural environment as something to be cared for rather than simply exploited.

The final activity brought everyone together in a large collaborative painting, allowing the participants to visually express and synthesize their learnings about our common home. The collective artwork became a symbol of the formation itself: different people, experiences, and ideas coming together to create one shared vision for creation.

The activities reflected the workshop's broader formation framework of Pray, Learn, Create, and Act—a journey intended to move participants from ecological awareness toward concrete stewardship and community action.

Beyond the formal sessions, the activity also demonstrated the importance of community participation. The workshop would not have been possible without the parish volunteers who prepared the venue and food, as well as the youth officers who assisted in the preparations and implementation of the activity.

Their contribution reflected one of the central messages of the formation: caring for creation is a shared responsibility. It requires not only individual commitment but also the cooperation of parish communities, young people, families, educators, artists, and local partners.

The two-day gathering concluded with reflection, parish ecological action planning, and a Living Water Covenant, calling participants to embrace their role as young stewards of creation.

For the youth of Mankayan, the formation was therefore more than a seminar. Through prayer, learning, art, and community participation, they were invited to see that water is not merely something to be used, but a gift of life that connects people, culture, and the whole of creation.

As the Season of Creation continues, the challenge now is to carry that learning beyond the workshop—to transform the paintings into commitments, the commitments into action, and hope into concrete care for the common home.

🖊️ hzk
📸 hzk, Saint Joseph the Husband of Mary Parish of Mankayan

23/08/2026

How lucky are we to see what we now see...what about the next generations?.??

19/08/2026

19/08/2026

Living Laudato Si Radio Program
with Rev. Fr. Mario Tambic

Walking in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples

19 August 2026

18/08/2026

Church and Civil Society Groups Unite for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Churches, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples advocates, and community representatives gathered in solidarity for “Timpuyog ti Pammati: An Ecumenical Day of Witness and Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples for Land, Life, and Rights” on August 17, 2026, at Easter College in Baguio City.

The gathering culminated in the signing of the “Unity Statement for Land, Life, and Rights: A Declaration of Solidarity,” affirming a shared commitment to uphold human dignity, protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, defend ancestral domains, and care for creation.
The event was held through an ecumenical service presided over by different church leaders, pastors, lay ministers, and priests. A significant part of the service was the Litany of the People, which lifted up the struggles and concerns of communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples facing threats to their land, livelihood, culture, environment, and human rights.

Indigenous Peoples representatives participated from Nueva Vizcaya, particularly Dupax and Kasibu; Benguet, including Bulalacao, Mankayan, and Dalicno in Itogon; as well as Abra, Kalinga, and Apayao. Representatives from the AYYEW organization also took part in the gathering. Ms. Sarah Alikes represented the four designees who have been victims of red-tagging, highlighting concerns over the harassment and criminalization of community and Indigenous rights defenders.

The Unity Statement expressed the participants’ recognition of the dignity, rights, and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and affirmed their right to self-determination and the protection of their ancestral domains. It also called for solidarity across faith traditions and communities in defending Indigenous Peoples and their rights.

The declaration strongly opposed the imposition of large-scale mining operations and destructive mega-dam projects, particularly projects that manipulate, bypass, or undermine genuine Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). It warned that such projects threaten the survival, heritage, and livelihoods of communities across Benguet, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, and Nueva Vizcaya.

The statement also highlighted the shared responsibility to protect forests, watersheds, river systems, and traditional agricultural lands from environmental degradation. It recognized that the livelihoods, cultural identities, and traditional knowledge of Indigenous communities are deeply connected to a healthy and thriving environment.

Another major concern raised in the declaration was the situation of environmental defenders, civil society groups, and Indigenous leaders who face harassment, militarization, violent dispersals, and the criminalization of dissent. The participants condemned what they described as the weaponization of the law, including the use of the Anti-Terrorism Act to “terror-tag” activists and silence those who peacefully defend marginalized communities and ancestral lands.

The declaration therefore serves not only as an expression of solidarity but also as a commitment to collective action. By signing the statement, the participants pledged to pursue justice, truth, and human dignity; demand government accountability; promote genuine climate solutions that respect Indigenous rights; and preserve the land, life, and culture of future generations.

The collaboration was led by the Regional Ecumenical Council in the Cordillera (RECCORD), together with its member churches: the Lutheran Church in the Philippines, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, The United Methodist Church, The Episcopal Church in the Philippines, The Salvation Army, Iglesia Filipina Independiente, and Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas. The Diocese of Baguio supported the event.

In their messages, the organizers and speakers emphasized that protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights is inseparable from protecting the environment and the integrity of their communities. They stressed the need for genuine participation, accurate information, and meaningful FPIC before development projects are implemented in Indigenous territories.

The gathering also called on the government to listen to the concerns and needs of Indigenous Peoples and to develop appropriate policies, programs, ordinances, and laws that protect their rights, livelihoods, culture, and environment. The participants emphasized that communities’ opposition to destructive projects should not simply be viewed as resistance to development, but as a legitimate expression of their responsibility to protect their land and the future of their communities.

The organizers further encouraged churches, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities to remain informed, vigilant, and actively engaged in defending human rights and the environment. The ecumenical gathering underscored the importance of collective action rooted in justice, solidarity, dialogue, and care for creation, walking alongside Indigenous communities in their continuing struggle for land, life, and rights.

🖊️ hZk
📸 hZk, jl