Arrocerros Forest Park, also known as the “Last Lung of Manila” ADRIAN BIBLANIAS
MANILA – Organizers of the Rights of Nature Campaign aptly launched the said event earlier today, Sept. 29, at Arrocerros Forest Park, also known as the “Last Lung of Manila.”
According to one of the organizers, Caritas Philippines, “’rights of nature’ is a concept, at the heart of which lies the key in addressing our dysfunctional economic system and the legal, social and political and modern cultural frameworks that are destroying people and planet.”
The campaign recognizes that the environment has rights just like human beings.
Arrocerros Forest Park is up for cutting and demolition to pave the way for a gymnasium, a project pushed by Mayor Erap Estrada. According to research done by the Commission on Higher Education and the Business Mirror, the forest park is home to 3 endemic species of butterfly, one of which is included in the CITES List of Threatened Species.
The launch involved art exhibits and installations, arts and craft workshops, poetry reading, film showing, and live band performances inspired by “harmony with nature.”
Organizers included the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc., Silsilah Dialogue Movement, and the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP).
