Media Coverage

PMPI, together with the community of Semirara, strongly opposes any move to unjustly transfer teachers, demolish existing school facilities, particularly at Sabang II Elementary School – Main, and relocate them to a new annex school without proper consultation, as these actions directly threaten children’s right to accessible and quality education. At the center of these issues are the questionable basis for the unjust order to transfer the teachers from the main to the annex school, and declaring the classrooms unsafe, thus the transfer of Sabang II Elementary School Main to the new annex. While a certification was reportedly issued by the Municipal Engineer’s Office, a response from a teacher clarified that no actual on-site inspection was conducted by a Municipal Engineer from Sabang and the barangay captain in 2023. In fact, no verifiable proof or documentation of such an inspection has been presented, casting doubt on the validity and credibility of the certification being used to justify the alleged demolition plan.

The Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) expresses its deep sorrow over the confirmed death of a bulldozer operator following the March 1, 2026 landslide at the Semirara mining pit in Antique. In a report by The Manila Times on March 3, 2026, the operator was buried when a portion of the open pit collapsed. This tragic incident adds to the growing list of lives lost in the operations of Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC), thus our call for justice and support for the bereaved families, investigation over the occupational safety and environmental impact of mining in Semirara, and transparency of these investigations and reports.

The forthcoming COP30 convenes at a time when millions of our fellow Filipinos are grappling with seemingly unrelenting climate disasters: the recent super-typhoon that ravaged our coastlines and communities, successive earthquakes and floodings that claimed hundreds of lives, devastated ecosystems, and destroyed livelihoods. Our country is among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change and a critical biodiversity hotspot. We are losing out as a consequence of bad governance and the absence of a visionary leadership. Not due to the so-called “wrath of nature”. Instead of systematically advancing adaptation and resilience, some of our adaptation measures, such as flood-control infrastructure, have increasingly become a loot bag for our political leaders and their dynastic families. We are in a deep moral and ecological crisis. The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI)1 stands before COP30 against this stark backdrop. We have a clear and urgent message: climate justice demands real accountability, nature-based solutions, community focus and a paradigm shift from the old systems that enable and perpetuate the climate crisis.

On 28th and 29th August 2025, tens of thousands of Indonesian workers protested across provinces and sub districts such as Manokwari, Semarang, Solo, Magelang, Medan, Bengkulu, and Tegal with the epicenter of protest in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta. Protesters demanded a minimum wage increase of 8.5 – 10% for 2026, a halt to mass layoffs, the abolition of outsourcing, comprehensive tax reform, the enactment of a new labor law in line with Constitutional Court Decision No. 168/2024, as well as the passage of the Asset Confiscation Bill and revision of the Election Law. These demands reflect workers’ fundamental rights to decent work, social protection, and democratic participation.

The Diocese of Borongan has condemned the legal action filed by a mining company against six environmental defenders on Homonhon Island in the central Philippines. The diocese described the move as a “grave injustice” and an attack on those protecting God’s creation. In a statement, the Church in Borongan expressed solidarity with community leaders from Barangay Casuguran and Carmi Macapagao, president of the Homonhon Environmental Advocates and Rights Defenders (HEARD).

The Diocese of Borongan has condemned the legal action filed by a mining company against six environmental defenders on Homonhon Island in the central Philippines. The diocese described the move as a “grave injustice” and an attack on those protecting God’s creation. In a statement, the Church in Borongan expressed solidarity with community leaders from Barangay Casuguran and Carmi Macapagao, president of the Homonhon Environmental Advocates and Rights Defenders (HEARD).

A faith-based group has welcomed the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) landmark advisory opinion affirming that states have a legal duty to act urgently on the climate crisis. The ruling recognizes that failure to prevent environmental harm is a wrongful act under international law. The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI), an advocacy and development network, said the decision strengthens global efforts to confront environmental destruction and protect future generations.

The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) affirms the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) historic advisory opinion on the obligations of States to act urgently to protect the climate system for both present and future generations1. It recognizes that States have clear legal responsibilities to prevent further environmental degradation, protect intergenerational equity, and safeguard global commons. Failure to act is now considered a “wrongful act” under international law. As a faith-based social development, and advocacy network committed to Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction Management, Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries Resources Conservation Management, Anti-mining Campaign, and the advancement of the Rights of Nature, PMPI celebrates this development as a timely and necessary reinforcement of our collective efforts for environmental protection, social equity, and intergenerational justice.

DAVAO CITY — Calls for justice are mounting following the fatal shooting of two civilian environmental defenders in Barangay Puntalinao, Banaybanay town, Davao Oriental on Saturday evening, July 26. According to the Davao Regional Police, the victims, identified as Rico Gonzaga Malubay and Rodolfo Delacruz Espe, both vendors, were shot multiple times by a lone gunman while sitting at a table near the vendors’ association area along the national highway.

The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) affirms the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) historic advisory opinion on the obligations of States to act urgently to protect the climate system for both present and future generations1. It recognizes that States have clear legal responsibilities to prevent further environmental degradation, protect intergenerational equity, and safeguard global commons. Failure to act is now considered a “wrongful act” under international law. As a faith-based social development, and advocacy network committed to Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction Management, Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries Resources Conservation Management, Anti-mining Campaign, and the advancement of the Rights of Nature, PMPI celebrates this development as a timely and necessary reinforcement of our collective efforts for environmental protection, social equity, and intergenerational justice.

PMPI expresses deep concern over President Ferdinand “Bobong” Marcos, Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address, which glaringly lacked any commitment to safeguarding biodiversity, upholding ecological integrity, or addressing the worsening climate crisis. The omission of urgent measures to halt environmentally destructive practices, such as large-scale mining and harmful development projects, is deeply troubling. Equally alarming is the absence of any recognition of human rights violations faced by environmental human rights defenders and indigenous peoples. These communities, which courageously protect their ancestral domains, continue to be among the most vulnerable to harassment, displacement, and violence, issues that were entirely ignored in the President’s speech.

Against the backdrop of the recently concluded Philippine Midterm Elections in May (in which most of the administration-backed candidates lost), the recent Supreme Court ruling that declared the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional, and a recent spate of storms and massive flooding that hit the country (that put a spotlight on budget priorities and grand corruption), Marcos, Jr.—who is also battling a looming lame duck status—will deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).