MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urged Filipinos to change their lifestyles, including the way they use water, and address “the human roots of the ecological disaster.” 

Tagle on Tuesday, September 1, also slammed what Pope Francis calls a “throwaway culture” that victimizes the poor. “Why do some people have no access to clean water?”

Tagle said, “Bakit walang mainom na tubig ‘yung iba samantalang ‘yung mga golf courses, alagang alaga ng tubig!” (Why do others have no water to drink, but the golf courses abound in water!)

The cardinal issued this message as the Catholic Church marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, as declared by the Pope, on September 1. 

He was also opening the annual Season of Creation in the Archdiocese of Manila.

On the same day, incidentally, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) announced that Metro Manila faces a water crisis. 

The NWRB warned around 355,500 households in Metro Manila about water interruptions starting September 7. 

These households could suffer less than 12 hours of water supply until up to February 2016 because of the El Niño phenomenon, which causes drought in parts of the world. (READ: El Niño could be strongest in modern history)

‘No God the Father, no Mother Earth’

While acknowledging climate change, Tagle said the “ecological disaster” also has “roots in the human heart.” 

“We need to also discover the way the economy goes, the way we do business, the labor practices, the exclusion of the poor who become more vulnerable to ecological changes, to climate change,” Tagle said.

For one, he pointed out that certain models of development “seem to support a segment of society, excluding the bigger portion of the earth.”  

Citing an ecologist, he said, “The more we grow, the more we throw!” 

He then stressed the need for “ecological conversion,” and urged a spirituality “that is manifested in little gestures.” 

Tagle said in a mix of English and Filipino: “Say grace before meals. Thank God. Say thanks after a meal. If you don’t need the lights, turn them off. Sobriety. Simplicity. Be contented with what’s enough. Just what’s enough. Recover gratitude.” 

He quoted political thinker Hannah Arendt, too, as saying this generation “has already ignored God the Father, and we are also ignoring Mother Earth.”

Tagle said: “There is no more God the Father, there is no more Mother Earth. What are you a child of?”

“We are not connected to God. We are not connected to the earth. We are not connected to anyone. I become God. I become supreme! And my wishes become law,” the cardinal said. 

“That is the root of destruction.” – Rappler.com