CALAPAN Bishop Moises Cuevas warned against treating local communities as obstacles to industrial initiatives as UST opened its month-long observance of the 2026 “Season of Creation” at the Santísimo Rosario Parish Church on Friday, Sept. 4.
Echoing Pope Francis’s teachings during his homily, Cuevas called on the faithful to pair ecological stewardship with public accountability while stressing that projects like Pax Silica fail to represent real progress unless it enhances the quality of life.
With the theme “Immersion in Living Water,” he highlighted how water sustains communities and supports agriculture, but has also become a source of concern because of polluted rivers, damaged watersheds, degraded marine ecosystems and destructive floods.
These environmental problems, he said, demonstrated the harsh consequences of human actions on communities heavily reliant on natural resources.
“The sea does not belong to us,” Cuevas added, stressing that creation ultimately belongs to God and remains under his sovereignty.
“His creation should not be treated merely as economic assets,” he added.
The disciples’ fear during the storm mirrors how people respond to modern ecological crises, Cuevas said, urging Christians to move beyond anxiety and take action, citing that “fear alone cannot heal damaged ecosystems.”
Cuevas cited Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, which says protecting God’s creation is an essential part of Christian life.
“[Protecting God’s creation] is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience,” he said.
Cuevas then outlined other major environmental threats pertinent to the Philippines, including the Verde Island Passage and corruption practices on the development of flood mitigating infrastructures.
Expansion of fossil gas facilities in Verde Island Passage, known as a global center of marine biodiversity, threatens fragile ecosystems that support fisherfolk and coastal communities, the prelate warned.
“The challenge is: how to protect the integrity of creation and safeguard the wellbeing of present and future generations whose lives are inseparably linked to the sea,” he said.
Cuevas also took notice of the subpar flood control projects that continue to lead to deep floods across the country, challenging the faithful to shift from passive concern to direct involvement in national issues.
“From passion to action, maybe let’s reverse it,” he said.
Bad weather postpones launch
The Mass was originally scheduled for Sept. 1 but was postponed after the University shifted to the enhanced virtual mode of instruction and remote work arrangements due to inclement weather.
The yearly observance is organized by the University through the Office of the Vice Rector for Religious Affairs, the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office, and the UST Center for Campus Ministry, in collaboration with Laudato Si’ Movement Pilipinas and the Dominican Family for Justice, Peace, and Care for Creation–Philippines.
The Season of Creation will run until Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology. Bruce L. Buenaventura
