[Press Release] Church leaders, green groups led bike tour for IPs and Mother Earth

Church leaders, green groups led bike tour for IPs and Mother Earth 2-day event culminates in Antipolo Cathedral Quezon City—300 bikers join the 2-day advocacy bike tour led by the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP) to raise awareness on the plight of indigenous peoples in the country. The “Padyak para sa Katutubo at Kalikasan”…

Human Rights Online Philippines

October 9, 2011

2–3 minutes

Antipolo, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Barasoain Church, Ilocos Norte, Intellectual property, Malolos, National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Quezon City

Church leaders, green groups led bike tour for IPs and Mother Earth
2-day event culminates in Antipolo Cathedral

Quezon City—300 bikers join the 2-day advocacy bike tour led by the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP) to raise awareness on the plight of indigenous peoples in the country.

The “Padyak para sa Katutubo at Kalikasan” started from Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, passing through Kalookan, Baclaran and Pasig, and will be concluded at the Antipolo Cathedral, today.

“The main call of the event is to raise awareness of the situation of indigenous peoples and the environment, and to gather support for the bills in Congress that uphold IP rights. We made it a biking event also specifically to promote biking for our health and to promote a clean and sustainable environment,” explained Archbishop Sergio L. Utleg, ECIP Chairperson and Archbishop of Tuguegarao.

The Biking Archbishop also led the tour from Bulacan yesterday up to the final mass and celebration in Antipolo today.

Meanwhile, at 5:30pm yesterday, a liturgical celebration was celebrated at the Baclaran Church, where most of the bikers stayed over night. After dinner, there was a short program and sharing session where indigenous peoples shared their experiences.

“We welcome this event and we thank the members of the Church who led this event and made it possible. Despite the rains and changing weather, we continued our plan and I hope that we were seen and heard—that people will start to understand the struggles that we face as ‘katutubo at nanganalaga ng kagubatan and kalikasan’ (IPs and care takers of the forests and environment), said an IP leader during the sharing session.

For the past 33 years, the Church celebrates Indigenous Peoples Sunday every second Sunday of October. The theme for this year’s IP Sunday is “Healing for Solidarity: Asking Forgiveness for the Sins Against Indigenous Peoples”.

“Our message is clear, Earth is not ours to own, we are mere stewards of God’s fragile creations. Today, the Church recognizes the sacrifices of our IP brothers and sisters and we will do our part to support the empowerment of indigenous peoples who did not forget to take care of our forests and Mother Earth.“ concluded Utleg.

Indigenous peoples from Zambales, Tarlac, Bulacan at Quezon and Participants from as far as Ilocos Norte, Cagayan and Isabela, different cycling groups, civil society organizations, individual bike hobbyists and contingent from the Armed Forces of the Philippines joined the event.

For more information:

Tony Abuso, CBCP-ECIP Coordinator, +632 5274062; 5274155, <ecipns@yahoo.com.ph>