Faith and Indigenous wisdom safeguard the only sustainable water source for miles (video)

In the forests of the Pantaron mountain range in the southern Philippine province of Bukidnon, the indigenous Pulangiyēn youth in Bendum are leading efforts to restore their ancestral lands. Once devastated by logging under the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr, the forests now thrive, thanks to the assisted natural regeneration (ANR) efforts in the 1990s.

Pedro Walpole SJ, who features in this short video, spoke of his mission in Bendum at the Asian Forum on Celebrating Synodality & Indigenous Living Tradition in the Asian Church organized by the faith-based group Circle of Sacred Rice in Nepal in November 2024. The Jesuit priest has spent more than 30 years in Bendum and teaches environmental stewardship rooted in faith at the Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (APC).

The restored forests now provide abundant, clean water that sustain 120 households even during the dry season. Beyond water security, the forest regeneration efforts symbolize the Pulangiyēn’s response to the impacts of climate change, demonstrating that Indigenous wisdom and determination can sustain the health of ecosystems and safeguard livelihoods.

Their story reflects the growing call for the Church and society to take meaningful action in protecting life and ancestral lands from the threats of environmental degradation and development plans that exclude the margins and benefit only a few.

As Father Walpole shared towards the end of the video, “hope is within the Church – that the Church as a whole can respond with integrity to the calls of the Indigenous, of the poor, of Creation (and) really listen, accompany, participate, and engage with this learning together. Science plays a role in this, but most of all, the basic dignity and life of those in the margins can teach us much about the meaning of life.

“Here in the Philippines, it was Indigenous World Day and many groups were trying to explain to government that they don’t need another dam to flood them out and to relocate them. They need to stay with the land that they have known through their ancestors for generations – land that was given to them by the Creator. We have to take this into our urbanized socities and recognize the beauty the Integrity of this relationship and not just cement everything, extract everything, and turn it into money for a rich economy that has no soul. Amen.”

This article is a re-publication from LiCAS News with minor revisions and additions by APC.