Quezon priest, eco-warriors complete protest march for environment

LUCENA CITY — Catholic priest Fr. Warren Puno expressed disappointment and indignation over the government’s failure to respond adequately to the grievances of environmentalists and marginalized communities at the end of a week-long protest march from Atimonan, Quezon, to Manila on Monday.

“Bakit sarado ang pintuan sa panaghoy ng mamamayan? Para kanino ba talaga ang pamahalaan?” (Why are the doors closed to the people’s cries? Who is the government really for?) Puno asked in Filipino on a Facebook post on Monday night.

On Oct. 5, Puno and 34 environmental advocates began a 154-kilometer protest march, dubbed “Lakbay Panaghoy II – Kalikasan, Kapayapaan, Katarungan” (Journey of Lament II – Environment, Peace, Justice), to denounce environmental destruction and injustices suffered by marginalized communities.

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READ: Priest, green warriors hike Quezon-Manila vs eco-destruction

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Puno said the march was organized because many grievances remain unheard: environmental threats, farmers fighting for their land, fisherfolk whose livelihoods are at risk, and poor communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.

Puno, convenor of Quezon for Environment (QUEEN), has been leading opposition to the proposed 1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Atimonan along the coast of Lamon Bay.

Quezon is already home to coal-fired power facilities in Mauban and Pagbilao.

In an online interview, Puno said nine participants completed the entire route from Atimonan to Manila. They included three senior citizens aged 62, 66 and 67—two of them women—from farming families in Sariaya, Quezon, as well as four laypeople, one deacon and Puno himself.

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The three Sariya farmers marched to call attention to the plight of peasants whose Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) were revoked after a former landowner sought court exemption of the estate from coverage under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

READ: Quezon priest urges DOE review of Atimonan coal plant project

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The original group of marchers consisted of 20 senior citizens and 14 others, mostly young people. Some participants left the march at designated points, with environmental advocates and concerned residents taking over from towns along the route.

Each leg of the daily trek began and ended at a church, where marchers rested and spent the night.

The march concluded at the national offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City. The protesters submitted community protest letters and sought dialogue with government officials.

Despite their physical exhaustion and aching feet, Puno said the marchers did not complain about the hardships of the journey.

“At first, the walk was joyful and fulfilling because I knew that it served a deeper purpose. But as I witnessed the destruction of nature and saw poor communities suffering without a voice, sadness gradually took over,” said Puno, 48, parish priest of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish in Barangay Poon, Atimonan.

Puno said he was particularly moved by people directly affected by environmental destruction eager to find someone willing to listen to their concerns.

“I saw how eager people were, especially those directly affected by environmental destruction, to find someone who would listen to them. Their longing to be heard was unmistakable,” he said.

In his post, Puno said he had accompanied affected communities and those threatened with losing their land in bringing their grievances to government.

“We brought their cries and grievances to government offices, hoping that someone would listen to them,” said Puno. 

He thanked representatives of the DENR and DAR for meeting with the marchers but lamented that no representatives from the DA and DOE came out to receive them.

“As a priest, I cannot help but ask: Why does it seem so difficult to listen to ordinary people? Is the government not supposed to exist to serve them?” said Puno, who heads the Ministry of Ecology of the Diocese of Lucena.

“As a priest, my stand is not against the government, but for human dignity, justice, and the care of creation,” he said.

Puno said he would stage future consultations with fellow priests involved in environmental protection across South Luzon to discuss ways to assist affected communities and strengthen efforts to address environmental problems in their respective provinces.

READ: DOE openness to new coal plants draws concern in Quezon

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“Our journey may have ended, but our mission to listen, accompany, and stand for justice continues,” he stressed./coa