Negros prelate finds Marcos Sona wanting
BACOLOD CITY—The bishop of the Diocese of San Carlos in the Negros provinces found the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Marcos wanting, even as the address was widely appreciated by local officials.
For San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, the President’s address “again focused on infrastructure and economic performance, while ignoring the ecological foundations that sustain the economy, health, and life itself.”
No safeguards
Alminaza, representing the Laudato Sí Convergence (collaboration of secular-religious groups), pointed out the “critical omissions” from the President’s Sona, noting a “lack of clear commitment to phase out coal, fossil gas, and other dirty energy.”
Alminaza also cited the absence of assurances on the protection of indigenous peoples’ ancestral domains from destructive projects; accountability for polluting industries and corrupt political actors; structural reforms in waste management, including a nationwide ban on single-use plastics; restoration of watersheds and forests critical to climate resilience; passage of the National Land Use Act and rights of nature legislation; and a genuine transition plan toward sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty.
“The focus on economic growth without environmental safeguards is a path to disaster, not development,” Alminaza said.
But for top officials in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, the President should be lauded for addressing electrification, education and health needs, as well as corruption.
