Living a Culture of Encounter: Rising in Resistance, Standing in Solidarity

[TAGALOG] Living a Culture of Encounter: Rising in Resistance, Standing in Solidarity

On August 9, 2025, during the celebration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples at the Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City, Most Rev. Gerardo Alminaza, D.D., Bishop of San Carlos and President of Caritas Philippines, delivered a message that challenged the nation’s conscience.

Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D., during the celebration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples last August 9, 2025. Photo from Altermidya.

Speaking before the Indigenous Peoples, advocates, and faith-based allies, Bishop Alminaza condemned the systemic marginalization of Indigenous Peoples, framing it not as ignorance but as “ignore-ance," a deliberate societal choice to disregard their cultures, rights, and struggles.

His speech underscored the urgent need to confront development aggression, land dispossession, and other attacks on the Indigenous Peoples, especially in the face of extractive industries and state-led infrastructure projects encroaching on ancestral domains.

The Indigenous Peoples, advocates, faith-based groups, and human rights defenders call to uphold Indigenous Peoples' rights and International Humanitarian Law. Photo from Altermidya.

Bishop Alminaza’s message resonates with Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples' Rights' commitment to amplifying Indigenous voices and resisting structural injustice. His speech is a call to defend the land, cultures, and dignity of the Indigenous Peoples.

READ Bishop Alminaza's message: Living a Culture of Encounter: Rising in Resistance, Standing in Solidarity