Catholic Church Urges Cordillera Gov’ts to Pass Nature Rights Ordinances

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Pushing for a revolutionary shift in the country’s legal landscape to safeguard disappearing mountain ecosystems, religious leaders and environmental advocates are demanding localized legal protections for the environment.The Catholic Church is formally calling on local government units (LGUs) across the Cordillera Administrative Region to pass ordinances establishing the Rights of Nature.

The legal framework aims to grant critically endangered forests, river boulders, and polluted waterways the explicit legal right to “exist and flourish”—giving ecosystems standing to sue for their own protection in a court of law.

The campaign was structured during a two-day strategy conference over the weekend at the Diocese of Baguio, facilitated by Caritas Philippines (the humanitarian and social action arm of the Catholic Church):

                        [ THE GREEN NORTHERN LUZON POLICY AXIS ]
                                           │
         ┌─────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────┐
         ▼                                                                   ▼
   [ THE INSTITUTIONAL NETWORK ]                                       [ THE POLICY PRIORITY ]
 • **The Coalition:** The initiative unites civil society groups,      • **Targeting the Micro-Level:** Program directors are moving away 
   local governments, and social action centers across the Dioceses  • from broad national lobbying to target regional environmental codes.
   of Baguio and Ilagan, the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk, and the    • **Focusing on the Highlands:** The primary goal is to integrate 
   Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.                                         • these protections into the local codes of **Benguet, Apayao,** 
 • **The Core Funding & Support:** Operating as the final stretch of  • **Kalinga, Abra, Ifugao, and Mountain Province**.
   a four-year climate resiliency project launched in 2022.          

A major focus of the conference was addressing the structural shortcomings of standard regulatory systems. Advocates argue that current state environmental laws are fundamentally flawed because they treat the environment merely as human property rather than an independent legal entity.

[ THE PARADIGM SHIFT IN ENVIRONMENTAL JURISPRUDENCE ]
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[ The Anthropocentric Flaw ] ──► Existing state frameworks only recognize environmental damage if it directly 
                                  harms human property, health, or economic interests.
                                  │
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[ The Rights of Nature Fix ] ──► Under the proposed ordinances, ecosystems gain independent legal standing, 
                                  allowing designated human guardians to file lawsuits on behalf of the river or forest itself.
                                  │
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[ The Global Precedent ]     ──► Advocates point to roughly 70 countries, the UN, and Quezon province's Infanta LGU—
                                  which legally recognized the Agos River's rights in 2022—as successful examples.

While Caritas program coordinators push for immediate provincial and municipal ordinances to address pressing local issues like mountain garbage management, a parallel movement is slowly gaining traction in the halls of Congress.

“Our environmental laws do not protect the subject of these laws, which is Nature. There must be something wrong with the framework of our legal system, so we need new jurisprudence that would recognize nature and ecosystems as legal entities and rights-bearing entities,” explained Yolly Esguerra, national coordinator of the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI).

The Church’s environmental campaign comes at a critical moment for the region. Upland ecosystems are facing severe, interconnected pressures—ranging from expanding commercial farming and unchecked garbage accumulation in remote towns to the potential impacts of a global energy crisis. Caritas national program coordinator Jocelyn Guela noted that while the project has successfully introduced community livelihoods, like traditional Kalinga weaving in Tabuk City, long-term ecological protection requires binding legal teeth. By encouraging Cordillera local governments to adopt these progressive legal frameworks, advocates hope to create a permanent shield for the region’s vital watersheds, ensuring that the natural heritage of the northern highlands cannot be traded away for short-term commercial gain.