Filipino priest awarded environment prize

(April 16, 2012) A Catholic priest in the Philipines has won a prestigious prize for his environmental concerns. Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the National Secretariat for Social Action of the bishops’ conference in the Philippines, has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia region. Fr. Gariguez and other regional winners were scheduled to receive a cash prize of $150,000 on Monday in San Francisco, USA, the headquarters of the prize. Fr. Gariguez said he would spend the prize money for the Mangyan indigenous people of the province of Mindoro whose care for the Earth inspired him in his work. The Catholic priest has been a vocal critic of mining operations, especially in Mindoro. He said mining operations should put in place measures to safeguard the environment, protect indigenous communities rights’ and ensure fair distribution of economic benefits. “Genuine development should prioritize the need to ensure ecological sustainability over market profitability. We should never sacrifice people and the environment for short-term benefit of the few,” said Gariguez.