Breaking the Philippine Volatility Trap

by Alan S. Cajes, PhD

The Philippines’ new status as an upper-middle-income economy is a milestone, but it should not be mistaken for arrival. The World Bank’s 2026–2027 country classifications moved the Philippines, Viet Nam, Jordan, Micronesia, and Sri Lanka from lower-middle to upper-middle income, using 2025 gross national income per capita under the Atlas method. For the current cycle, upper-middle-income economies are those with GNI per capita between $4,636 and $14,375.

This upgrade deserves recognition. It reflects years of expansion, employment creation, consumption growth, and the steady contribution of Filipino workers at home and abroad. But it also demands sobriety. The World Bank itself cautions that GNI per capita is useful for classification, but does not directly measure welfare, equality, or the lived quality of development. A nation can move up statistically while millions of families still feel trapped by high food prices, insecure work, poor transport, weak public services, and climate vulnerability.

The first lesson is methodological. GNI per capita is not the same as national pride divided into neat averages. The World Bank calculates it by converting national income into U.S. dollars through the Atlas method and dividing it by midyear population. This matters because population growth alone does not raise average income; in fact, if total income does not grow faster than population, average income falls. What population growth can provide is a demographic opportunity: more workers, more consumers, and more entrepreneurial energy. But this only becomes development if people are productively employed, properly educated, well nourished, and connected to higher-value industries.

The second lesson is structural. The rise in Philippine income is not surprising given the country’s large population, expanding services sector, continued urban consumption, and persistent overseas remittances. In 2025, cash remittances from overseas Filipino workers reached a record $35.63 billion, while total personal remittances reached $39.62 billion; remittances accounted for about 7.3 percent of GDP, according to BSP data reported by the Philippine News Agency. These flows support household consumption, education, housing, health care, and small enterprise. They also enter the broader logic of GNI because GNI includes income earned by residents whether generated inside the country or abroad.

But here lies the philosophical and developmental paradox: remittances prove both Filipino strength and domestic weakness. They show the discipline, sacrifice, and global competence of Filipino workers. Yet they also reveal that the economy has not created enough high-productivity opportunities at home. A country cannot build a high-income future by permanently exporting its people’s ambition.

The regional comparison sharpens the point. Thailand became an upper-middle-income economy in 2011, fifteen years before the Philippines reached the same category. The World Bank linked Thailand’s earlier rise to manufacturing diversification, foreign direct investment, macroeconomic discipline, and a stronger business environment. Viet Nam, meanwhile, reached upper-middle-income status alongside the Philippines, but through a different trajectory: the World Bank described Viet Nam as powered by export-led growth, with exports surging by more than 15 percent in both 2024 and 2025 and GNI expanding by an average of 10 percent annually between 2021 and 2025. The Philippines’ reclassification, by contrast, came from broad-based expansion across industries, with GDP growing by an average of 5.8 percent annually over five years.

This distinction matters. The Philippines did not simply lag behind Thailand in timing; it lagged in industrial depth. It did not simply trail Viet Nam in growth momentum; it trailed in export transformation. Thailand built a stronger manufacturing base earlier. Viet Nam embedded itself more aggressively in global production networks. The Philippines, meanwhile, has relied too heavily on consumption, services, remittances, and the resilience of households.

The country’s upper-middle-income status should therefore be treated not as a trophy, but as a warning. The danger now is the middle-income trap: reaching a higher statistical category without building the productivity, innovation, energy security, agricultural resilience, and institutional discipline needed to move toward high-income status.

Breaking that trap requires structural renewal. Agriculture must be modernized so rice, food, and rural livelihoods are not permanently exposed to climate shocks and import dependence. Public infrastructure must move from announcement to completion, with procurement reform tied to real-time accountability. Renewable energy must be treated as industrial policy, not only environmental policy, because high power costs weaken competitiveness. And Filipino talent must be anchored at home through advanced manufacturing, semiconductor support, agribusiness processing, AI-enabled services, logistics technology, and green industries.

The Philippines has earned its new classification. But classification is not transformation. Development is not the act of crossing a threshold, but the enlargement of human freedom. Nations stagnate when they confuse recognition with reform. Average income means little if ordinary households still experience progress as anxiety.

The real task, then, is to make upper-middle income status true in the life of the farmer, the commuter, the worker, the teacher, the small entrepreneur, and the family sustained by a migrant’s sacrifice. Only then will the Philippines move from statistical ascent to structural renewal.

References

Asian Development Bank. (2026). Economic forecasts for Asia and the Pacific: July 2026. Asian Development Bank.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. (2026). Republic of the Philippines: Investor relations presentation, April 2026. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Metreau, E., Young, K. E., & Eapen, S. G. (2026, July 1). Who moves up and why? A closer look at the 2026–2027 release of the World Bank Group country income classifications. World Bank Blogs.

World Bank. (2011, August 2). Thailand now an upper middle income economy. World Bank.

World Bank Data Help Desk. (n.d.-a). World Bank country and lending groups. World Bank.

World Bank Data Help Desk. (n.d.-b). What is the World Bank Atlas method? World Bank.

Driving Forces of the Philippine Environment: A Crisis of Alignment and an Opportunity for Transformation

by Alan S. Cajes 

The environmental crisis confronting the Philippines is often framed as a problem of weak awareness, insufficient concern, or inadequate technical knowledge. This framing is misleading. The country does not suffer from environmental ignorance. Filipinos are deeply familiar with floods, storms, degraded coasts, declining fisheries, polluted air, and thinning forests. What the nation faces is a crisis of alignment—a deep and persistent mismatch between the way its political, economic, social, technological, ecological, and legal systems operate and the way natural systems function and respond to pressure. Across these domains, institutions operate according to logics that are internally rational yet collectively destructive. Political cycles are short; ecosystems recover slowly. Economic metrics count income but ignore depletion. Social necessity pushes people into fragile spaces. Technology advances faster than institutions can absorb it. Ecological buffers degrade faster than policy processes can keep up. Legal commitments outpace enforcement capacity. Environmental decline emerges not from a single failure, but from the friction between systems that never fully synchronize.

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Balicasag Island Marine Turtles 101

 by Alan S. Cajes

The fotos are owned by alonaboholdiversclub, nationalgeographic, and wordwilfie.

This week, I had the opportunity to take part in a field study on the Balicasag Island Tourism System with the Assessment Team, which is composed of provincial, municipal, barangay, and CENRO specialists. The activity is part of the Governance for Climate and Disaster Resilience (Gov-CDR) project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, implemented in the Philippines by Alinea, with the Advocates for Development Management and Sustainability (ADMS) as the risk lead local resource partner. I am grateful for the overwhelming support from the LGUs, especially the community stakeholders. I’m putting together some Q&A about the marine turtles on the island to satisfy my own curiosity, and I’m sharing these for anyone with similar interests. 

Question 1: Why are marine turtles important to Balicasag Island?

Answer: Marine turtles are not just animals we see while snorkeling—they are ecosystem caretakers. Green turtles keep seagrass healthy, which supports fish, protects shorelines, and stores carbon. Hawksbill turtles help keep coral reefs alive by controlling sponges that smother corals. If turtles disappear, reefs weaken, seagrass dies, fish decline, and tourism suffers. 

Q2: What turtle species are commonly seen in Balicasag?

A: Green Sea Turtle – feeds mainly on seagrass (most common). Hawksbill Turtle – feeds on sponges in coral reefs (less common but very important). Both are endangered and protected by law. 

Q3: Do turtles lay eggs on Balicasag Island?

A: There is evidence that turtles lay eggs on the island. However, Balicasag is also recognized as a feeding and resting area. This still critical because turtles need healthy feeding grounds to a) Gain energy, b) Survive long migrations, and c) Lay eggs successfully elsewhere. If Balicasag becomes unhealthy, turtles may never reach their nesting beaches. 

Q4: How does plastic pollution harm turtles?

A: Plastic hurts turtles in many ways:

·  They eat plastic, thinking it’s food, leading stomach blockage and then to slow death.

·  They get tangled in plastic ropes, nets, and packaging.

·  Plastic damages seagrass and reefs, destroying turtle food.

·  Plastics carry toxins that weaken turtles and reduce reproduction.

·  Plastic pollution makes turtles less able to survive climate stress. 

Q5: Why is plastic a climate problem too?

A: Because plastic:

·  Worsens the effects of storms and flooding (it spreads everywhere after typhoons)

·  Weakens ecosystems that protect us from storm surge

·  Makes recovery after disasters slower and more expensive

·  Plastic is a climate risk multiplier. 

Q6: What is Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS), and why is it a problem?

A: COTS are starfish that eat live coral. When they become too many (outbreaks), they can:

·  Destroy large areas of reef

·  Reduce fish and turtle habitat

·  Make reefs less attractive for tourism

·  They don’t attack turtles directly—but they destroy the turtles’ environment. 

Q7: How do COTS outbreaks happen?

A: They increase when:

·  Water becomes nutrient-rich (from waste, sewage, runoff)

·  Reefs are weakened by heat stress and bleaching

·  Natural predators are removed due to overfishing 

Q8: Who eats COTS in nature?

A: Natural predators include:

·  Giant Triton Snail (very important but rare)

·  Large reef fish (wrasse, triggerfish, pufferfish)

When these predators are protected, COTS outbreaks are less severe. 

Q9: How does protecting turtles help people too?

A: Protecting turtles means:

· More fish and healthier reefs

· Stronger protection from waves and storms

· Stable tourism income (especially for youth and women)

· Cleaner seas and safer snorkeling

Healthy turtles = healthy community.

Q10: What can we do to protect turtles?

A: You can make a real difference by:

· Reducing plastic

o   Refuse single-use plastics

o   Bring reusable bottles and containers

o   Help with cleanups (especially after storms)

· Being responsible in the sea

o   Don’t touch turtles

o   Keep distance (no chasing or blocking)

o   Avoid standing on corals or seagrass

· Supporting reef health

o   Respect no-take zones

o   Report COTS sightings to authorities

o   Support reef and seagrass restoration

· Speaking up

o   Educate tourists and peers

o   Support women-led and youth-led conservation groups

o   Participate in barangay and island planning activities 

Q11: Why are turtles called “climate guardians”?

A: Because turtles help protect:

·   Seagrass, which stores carbon

·   Reefs, which reduce storm damage

·   Food systems, which support island life

When turtles are healthy, the island is more resilient to climate change. Saving turtles is not just about wildlife. It’s about protecting your island, your future livelihood, and your resilience to climate change. (Dr. Alan Salces Cajes, freelance researcher, trainer and teacher; chair and co-founder, Advocates for Development Management Sustainability, Inc.)

Natura non nisi parendo vincitur (Nature is not conquered except by being obeyed)

by Alan S. Cajes, PhD

I first encountered the powerful words, “Nature, to be commanded, must first be obeyed,” in 1995. The philosopher Francis Bacon wrote them centuries ago, but they were brought to life for me by two inspiring mentors: Dr. Delfin Ganapin Jr. and Atty. Antonio Oposa Jr. They taught me that this isn't a call for passive surrender, but for wise and respectful engagement. Atty. Oposa, in particular, cleverly framed "LAW" as Land, Air, and Water—the very elements whose rules we must follow.

This wisdom has become my guiding lens for understanding the climate crisis. The escalating disasters, the rising seas, and the desperate vulnerability we see worldwide are not random tragedies. They are the direct consequence of our failure to obey nature.

What does it mean to “obey” nature? It means to understand and respect its fundamental, non-negotiable laws. For generations, modern civilization has done the opposite.

• We have ignored the carbon cycle, treating the thin veil of our atmosphere as an infinite dump for our greenhouse gases. We commanded the power of industry without obeying the planet's delicate balance.
• We have dismantled our life-support systems, clearing forests, paving over wetlands, and silencing the natural world.
• We commanded the land for profit and expansion without obeying the crucial roles these ecosystems play in regulating our climate, absorbing floods, and guarding our shores.

The result? The furious hurricanes, the punishing droughts, the devastating floods—these are not mere “bad weather.” They are a predictable verdict on our collective disobedience.

Our disobedience has created a world where many communities are tragically unequipped to cope.

1. Low Adaptive Capacity: Stuck in the Past - “Adaptive capacity” is the ability to adjust to change. Many communities, through no fault of their own, have a low capacity to adapt. They are trying to survive in a new climate with old tools.

Obeying now means accepting a new normal. The stable climate of the past is gone. Adapting requires new ways of farming, managing water, and building our cities.

A painful gap exists between need and ability. Impoverished communities, often due to poverty or a lack of support, cannot make these changes. They are forced to plant seeds that wither in new droughts or live in homes that cannot withstand new storms. Their inability to "obey" the new rules of nature leaves them heartbreakingly vulnerable.

2. High Sensitivity: Where Disobedience Hits Hardest -- “Sensitivity” is about how hard a place is hit by climate changes. The most sensitive areas on Earth are paying the highest price for a crisis they did not create. 

• Small Island Nations: Their very existence is threatened by rising seas—a direct result of the world’s failure to obey the carbon cycle.
• Arid Regions: Places already living on the edge of water scarcity are being pushed into desertification and famine by our disrupted climate.
• Coastal Cities: Their vulnerability to storms is a product of building vast populations in naturally dynamic zones—an attempt to command geography without obeying its inherent risks.

Bacon’s quote is not a message of despair, but a blueprint for empowerment. The path forward requires us to return to obedience as the very foundation of a new, wiser form of command. 

1. Obey the Science. - We must base our policies, economies, and lives on the unequivocal findings of climate science, not on short-term convenience or political denial.

2. Obey by Working With Nature. - Our adaptation must be a collaboration, not a confrontation.

• Command flood control by obeying the floodplain—restoring wetlands and mangroves, which are nature’s resilient infrastructure.
• Command food security by obeying the soil—embracing regenerative agriculture and drought-resistant crops.
• Command coastal protection by obeying the ocean—building resilient communities, not just futile concrete walls against the rising tide.

3. Build Capacity as an Act of Obedience. - Helping vulnerable regions adapt is how we help them obey the new reality. This means providing climate-resilient technology, strengthening governance, and diversifying livelihoods so that a single failed harvest does not spell disaster.

The suffering in the world's most vulnerable regions is a profound lesson in cause and effect. We prioritized domination over respect, and we are now facing the consequences. 

Bacon’s wisdom is a timeless warning: our power is not absolute. It is a privilege granted by nature itself. True security and a thriving future will not be won by trying to control an increasingly volatile system we broke. It will be earned through humility—a steadfast commitment to observe, to understand, and finally, to respect the planetary laws we have ignored for too long. 

Only by first learning to obey the wind and the waves can we ever hope to truly command a safe and stable future.

About the Quote and Its Deeper Roots

The Original Source: The full quote is from Francis Bacon's Novum Organum (1620): "Now the empire of man over things is founded on the arts and sciences alone, for nature is only to be commanded by obeying her." This statement helped launch the scientific revolution. Bacon’s message was clear:

• "Must first be obeyed": To control nature, we must humbly learn its rules through observation and experiment.
• "To be commanded": Only after understanding these laws can we use that knowledge to create technology and improve human life.

In short, true power comes from respectfully understanding how nature works. 

While Bacon coined the famous phrase, the idea is ancient. The Stoic philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome, like Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC – AD 65), expressed a similar concept. In his work De Beneficiis (On Benefits), he wrote, "It is to be led not by obeying but by following." He argued that we achieve our ends by understanding and aligning with the rational order of the universe, not by fighting it.

Bacon brilliantly repurposed this ancient philosophical insight, transforming it into the founding motto for modern science. The core truth remains: power is born from partnership with nature, not from conquest over it.

Why Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Matters for Protected Areas

by Alan Salces Cajes, PhD

In recent months, numerous business establishments in Batuan, Bohol—including tourist inns, cafés, and small resorts—have received Notices of Violation (NOVs) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for operating without the required Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) under the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System. This situation has underscored the need for better understanding of environmental regulations among local enterprises and the importance of integrating compliance into municipal governance. This paper seeks to put this issue into context by explaining the value of the EIA process as both a legal requirement and a tool for sustainable, hazard-resilient development in a municipality exposed to flooding, landslides, and ground shaking.

The paper proposes practical solutions to address the widespread non-compliance. It recommends that instead of each establishment pursuing separate ECCs, Batuan’s clustered tourism businesses adopt a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) approach—preparing a shared environmental study and management plan coordinated by the Municipal Government through the MENRO, in partnership with EMB Region VII and local business associations. This collective compliance model would reduce costs, simplify monitoring, and strengthen environmental governance, transforming the current challenge into an opportunity for green, inclusive, and sustainable tourism development in Batuan.

Link to the article

Reimagining Community Development: Integrating Ontological Perspectives of Claro R. Ceniza and Existential Philosophy of Florentino H. Hornedo

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Philosophy of Sustainable Development: A Critique

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Sustainable development has become a “new” gospel in the contemporary environment and development literature. The global social order is generally fascinated by the concept and is taking steps to translate it into actual practice. Although everybody seems to be in favor of sustainable development, no one seems certain as to what it actually means. The description of the term by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) of the United Nations as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” is generally acceptable but susceptible to different interpretations. The problem is compounded by the habit of appealing to the social and natural sciences for help in explaining the meaning of the term and its implication to environmental protection, trade and governance.

Sustainable development is generally understood as the fulfillment of the basic needs of present and future generations through equity and environmental protection. The author, however, argues that sustainable development only becomes conceptually viable if it seeks to satisfy fundamental human needs, if its norm is social justice, if its vehicle is a steady-state economy that promotes sustainable production and consumption of natural capital, and if its engine is the State and its civil spirited citizens. 

The author also traces the origin of sustainable development in the light of historical human knowledge. He points out that although the term “sustainable development” is relatively new, its meaning and its implications are of ancient origin. The concept is a product of human-nature interaction. Thus, its interpretation only becomes meaningful if it is placed in the context of its own historical development.

Worldviews, Life Expressions and Social Determinants: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

Kindle Edition

With the Philippines and the state of its ecosystems as the setting, I explore in this book the relationship between worldviews -- people’s perceptions of the world, in general, and nature or environment, in particular -- and lived experiences or life expressions. Later on, I added another dimension -- the social determinants. Basically, I wanted to know if people's life experiences are consistent with their worldviews, if people want an alignment of their worldviews and life expressions, and what would it take to make such an alignment possible.

This book used hermeneutic phenomenology as methodology involving seven co-researchers, who have diverse backgrounds, professions, and occupations. The methods generally include gathering and documenting lived experiences, and reflective reading of the narratives. The eidetic insight states that worldviews, life expressions, and social determinants are interrelated. The formation of worldviews is partly a product of social determinants and influenced by the lived experiences. The lived experiences or life expressions are also influenced by the worldviews and the social determinants. In addition, the social determinants can be modified, the process of which is influenced by the worldviews and life expressions. The study points out that people have varied worldviews, but there are common grounds. These worldviews are generally composite. These can be replaced as human beings gain more knowledge and experiences. Human beings seek ways to live out their respective worldviews. In the process of living out their respective worldviews, conflicts could occur. That is why there is a need for society to create the conditions that will foster the formation of integrative worldviews, which have beneficial impacts to us human beings and to our home, Planet Earth.

Sustainable Development: Perspective from the Philippines

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Reflections on COVID-19, Biodiversity and Spirituality

by Alan S. Cajes[1]

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.[2] At that time, there were 118,000 confirmed cases, 4,291 deaths, and thousands of patients in health facilities. COVID-19 affected 114 out of 195 countries.

   On March 16, 2020, the Philippine Government declared a national state of calamity due to COVID-19. Late afternoon of the same day, the government placed the entire island of Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) starting 12:00 a.m. of March 17, 2020 until 12:00 a.m. of April 13, 2020.[3] Starting on the same day, the rest of the provincial and municipal local government units (LGUs) nationwide imposed their respective community quarantine policies, regulations, and protocols.

   The ECQ simply means that people stay at their homes. A designated household member is allowed to buy food and medicine subject to the issuance of a quarantine pass by their respective barangay LGUs. The ECQ also suspended the operation of mass public land transportation. Thus, workers from both the public and private sectors, except those who are involved in the delivery of basic utilities and critical services, adopt a work from home scheme. Some organizations have skeletal forces to process transactions that could only be performed at the workplace.

   As of 21 April 2020, the Philippines registered a total of 6,599 confirmed cases, 654 cases of recovery, and 437 deaths. Globally, the total confirmed cases reached 2,557,181 affecting almost all countries in the world. About 177,641 persons have succumbed to COVID-19.[4]

The Origin[5]

   The WHO became aware of pneumonia patients in Wuhan City, Hubei, China on December 31, 2019. On January 7, 2020, Chinese authorities linked the pneumonia cases to a new coronavirus (COVID-19), which can be transmitted by one person to another. Although the virus was identified using samples from a Wuhan market that sold live animals, the animal origin of the COVID-19 could not be ascertained at that time, unlike other coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, which are zoonotic.

   On January 20, a 38-year old female Chinese national was reported as the first case of COVID-19 in the Philippines. Her 44-year old companion, a male Chinese national died on February 1 due to COVID-19. The third case, a 60-year old female, Chinese national, was reported on February 5. These three cases visited Wuhan.  The first and third cases returned to China after they have recovered.

   On March 6, the fourth case, who had a travel history to Japan, was confirmed. Japan reported 420 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 7. The fifth and sixth cases were considered local transmissions since they did not travel outside of the country. The seventh to ninth cases had travel history to countries that reported confirmed cases. The tenth case is considered as another local transmission.

Carriers of Coronaviruses

    The genome of the coronavirus has an RNA strand “of approximately 27-32 kb.”[6] Unlike DNA viruses, RNA viruses commit errors in the process of duplication. However, these viruses “mutate very rapidly,” thus could infect the cells of different species, e.g., animals and humans.[7] A particle of these viruses has “four structural proteins: the nulceaocapsid, envelope, membrane and spike.”[8] The spike looks like the corona of the sun; hence the name “coronavirus.”

    Bats, according to some researchers, may “harbor” coronaviruses because their immune system does not trigger a response; thus the coronaviruses can “hide” and then hop “from species to species”.[9] If COVID-19 transferred from animal species to humans through direct or indirect contact, then this type of coronavirus is zoonotic, i.e., carried by animals.[10]

 Preventing Coronavirus Infection

    The WHO recommends avoidance of direct and indirect contact through physical or social distancing, frequent and proper handwashing, etc. The use of vaccines is also another way of solving the COVID-19 problem, but the potential vaccines are still being developed in several laboratories worldwide. The long-term and perhaps the best antidote to viruses, including COVID-19, is nature itself.

    According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), zoonoses or diseases transmitted by animals to humans, such as sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and coronavirus, “are all linked to human activity.”[11] UNEP’s scientists and specialists postulate that those viruses that the bats carry “emerged due to the loss of bat habitat from deforestation and agricultural expansion.”[12] Thus, COVID-19 would not have been transmitted if we, humans, just left the bats alone by preserving, and not encroaching on, their natural habitats.

 Causing Our Own Misfortune

    Just like all other species, bats play a key role in our ecological systems. They are predators of insects. They pollinate and disperse different species of plants. For instance, the durian fruit, which is considered as the king of fruits in Southeast Asia, is pollinated by “the island flying fox, a large species of bat.”[13]

    By degrading the habitats of bats, we are, in effect, reducing the productivity of our ecosystems, and helping the emergence of viruses – a sure-fire formula for compromising the future of our generation and the generations yet to come. As David Quammen explains: “We invade tropical forests and other wild landscapes, which harbor so many species of animals and plants — and within those creatures, so many unknown viruses. We cut the trees; we kill the animals or cage them and send them to markets. We disrupt ecosystems, and we shake viruses loose from their natural hosts. When that happens, they need a new host. Often, we are it.”[14] This is a grim reminder of what Sophocles said hundreds of years before the birth of Christ: the keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.

 Loss of Biodiversity and Divinity

   There is overwhelming evidence that human beings have damaged Planet Earth in catastrophic proportions. The Earth’s ecological systems are in jeopardy. The myriad water bodies are no longer teeming with fish and micro-organisms, but struggle to survive against humanity’s onslaught with pollution and toxic and hazardous wastes. The lands are no longer covered with pristine and diverse vegetation, but bear the brunt of the dominant species that prides itself with steel and concrete. The air is no longer the domain of the birds and the home of the clouds, but is the dark shroud that brings acid rain, powerful hurricanes, and destructive typhoons. As if these are not sufficient, man alters the climate and puts his survival, including that of billion other species, in serious and seemingly irreversible risk. Foul air, dirty water, depleted resources and global warming -- these are the costs and the consequences of the social, cultural, religious, economic, political and scientific achievements of the most intelligent of all species – Homo sapiens.

   Why are human beings capable of such horrendous and despicable evil? If we can build massive pyramids, tall buildings, gigantic ships, bullet trains, rocket ships, and giant computers, why can’t we maintain clean air, clean water, productive lands, and intact coral reefs and forests? If we are capable of great scientific and religious thought and deep wisdom, why can’t we keep God’s creation from desecration? If we are gifted with the power to commune with God and the Saints, why can’t we maintain a harmonious relationship with nature?

   Thomas Berry[15] traces the root of the environmental crisis to our alienation from a functioning universe or a cosmos. Human beings today live in a fragmented world. We live in communities, political factions, firms, associations, towns, cities, nations, civilizations, or cultural traditions. We cease to live in the world that God created. We live in a world that we have fashioned with our own hands. We cease to live in a world that has intrinsic worth. We exist in a world that has economic, financial or monetary value. We no longer live in a world that sustains life. We now live in a world that destroys life.

   Empirical and reductionist science accelerated the alienation of human beings from the cosmos. This approach effectively transformed nature into objects and commodities. As a realm of things, nature became an unchartered territory that we could study, conquer, exploit, and mold to satisfy our quest for betterment, progress or development.

   Seyyed Hossein Nasr[16] complemented Berry’s assessment by pointing out that the withering of consciousness has resulted in the reduction of the diverse levels of reality into a single level. Reality is reduced into elementary particles - quarks, leptons and bosons. The spiritual dimension has vanished. Science has generally caused the separation of spirit from matter. As a consequence, the logos, the consciousness or the spiritual reality of the old religions and mysticism has ceased to be the arche.

   This paradigm has deep and profound implications to man’s view and relationship with nature. The cosmos has lost its divine origin and character. It is simply matter and its forces. The theory of the big bang has been proven and has served as a dominant explanation about the beginning of the universe. With this, “in principio creavit Deus caelum et terram” is supplanted by “the universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state and continues to expand today”. With God out of sight and out of the mind, religious truths and dogma have become valued artifacts in a Museum of Human Knowledge.

Way Forward

    The UNEP claims that rich biodiversity or ecosystem integrity “can help regulate diseases by supporting a diversity of species so that it is more difficult for one pathogen to spill over, amplify or dominate.”[17] That is why the “Berlin Principles” calls for “action to ensure the conservation and protection of biodiversity, which interwoven with intact and functional ecosystems provides the critical foundational infrastructure of life on our planet.”[18] Such argument is supported by the dilution effect theory which may be stated in this way: healthy ecosystems reduce diseases within a given ecosystem.[19]

    Francis Bacon once said that nature to be commanded must first be obeyed.[20] In our present reality, this simply means that we must live life within the planetary boundaries, especially the loss of biosphere integrity (biodiversity loss and extinctions).[21] Thus Sustainable Development Goal No. 15 (Life On Land) specifically calls for humanity to “sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.”[22]

    Our indigenous communities understood the need to maintain a rich biodiversity as evidenced by their respect and reverence to nature. Our faith traditions are also clear about the value of maintaining the balance of nature through their respective teachings:

·       Buddhism: “"However innumerable beings are, I vow to save them."[23]

·       Christianity: "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it."[24]

·       Confucianism: “"If the foundations of living are strengthened and are economically used, then Nature cannot bring impoverishment. But if the foundations of living are neglected and used extravagantly, then Nature cannot make the country rich.”[25]

·       Hinduism: “All living beings are sacred because they are parts of God, and should be treated with respect and compassion.”[26]

·       Islam: “Verily, all things have We created by measure; And We have produced therein everything in balance.”[27]

    As we embark on a post-new normal journey after creating the conditions for COVID-19, may we be guided by the wisdom of Pope Francis: “When we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to worship him in union with them. This sentiment finds magnificent expression in the hymn of Saint Francis of Assisi:

Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day and through whom you give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour;
and bears a likeness of you, Most High.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather
through whom you give sustenance to your creatures.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong”.[28]

---

[1]Founding member, Sacred Springs: Dialogue Institute for Spirituality and Sustainability; Associate Member, National Research Council of the Philippines; Fellow, Development Academy of the Philippines

[2]World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020, https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020.

[3]The ECQ was later extended to April 30, 2020

[4]COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR13WwqweoKIJZw93r2VMBn9f_pmekxdPt71yD4b601Rrbn5iqgtCcacbV4.

[5]Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Situation Report 1 Philippines 9 March 2020, https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/wpro---documents/countries/philippines/emergencies/covid-19/who-phl-sitrep-1-covid-19-9mar2020.pdf?sfvrsn=2553985a_2.

[6]Jeong-Min Kim, et.al., “Identification of Coronavirus Isolated from a Patient in Korea with COVID-19,” https://www.ncbi,nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7045880/. See also Makin, Simon, “How Coronaviruses Cause Infection—from Colds to Deadly Pneumonia, “ <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-coronaviruses-cause-infection-from-colds-to-deadly-pneumonia1/.

[7]Makin, How Coronaviruses Cause Infection—from Colds to Deadly Pneumonia

[8]Makin, How Coronaviruses Cause Infection—from Colds to Deadly Pneumonia

[9]Makin, How Coronaviruses Cause Infection—from Colds to Deadly Pneumonia . See also Zhou, Peng, et. al., “A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin,” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2012-7 and  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7; Qiu, Jane, “How China’s “Bat Woman” Hunted Down Viruses from SARS to the New Coronavirus,” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/.

[10]Zoonotic diseases are also called zoonoses. These are transferred between animals and people. See Center for Disease Prevention and Control, “Zoonotic Diseases.” https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/basics/zoonotic-diseases.html.

[11]United Nations Environment Programme, “Six nature facts related to coronaviruses,” https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/six-nature-facts-related-coronaviruses.

[12]United Nations Environment Programme, “Six nature facts related to coronaviruses.”

[13]Bates, Mary, “World’s Smelliest Fruit Might Not Exist Without This Giant Bat,” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/10/animals-science-nature-bats-pollination-durian-mutualism/.

[14]Quammen, David, “We Made the Coronavirus Epidemic,” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/opinion/coronavirus-china.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytopinion.

[15] A cultural historian, Berry’s works include The Dream of the Earth (1988), Befriending the Earth (with Thomas Clarke, 1991), The Universe Story From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era, A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos (with physicist Brian Swimme, 1992); The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-First Century. (2009). Edited and with a Foreword by Mary Evelyn Tucker. New York: Columbia University Press.

[16]An Islamic philosopher, his works include An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines: Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan al-Safa, al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina (1964), The Encounter of Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man (1968), Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization (2001), The Pilgrimage of Life and the Wisdom of Rumi: Poems and Translations (2007).

[17]United Nations Environment Programme, “Six nature facts related to coronaviruses.” See also Vidal, John, “Destroyed Habitat Creates the Perfect Conditions for Coronavirus to Emerge,” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/destroyed-habitat-creates-the-perfect-conditions-for-coronavirus-to-emerge/.

[18]See “Global Health Leaders Issue Urgent Call for United Effort to Stop Diseases Threatening All Life on Earth,” https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/13435/Global-Health-Leaders-Issue-Urgent-Call-for-United-Effort-to-Stop-Diseases-Threatening-All-Life-on-Earth.aspx. See also Robinson, Nicholas A., and Christian Walzer,  “How Do We Prevent the Next Outbreak?” https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/how-do-we-prevent-the-next-outbreak/.

[19]This theory is supported by studies. See for instance Khalil, H., Ecke, F., Evander, M. et al., “Declining ecosystem health and the dilution effect,” Sci Rep 6, 31314 (2016), https://doi.org/10.1038/srep31314. Other studies neither confirm nor deny the theory. See for instance Welsh, J. E. (2020). Lost in transmission: unravelling the mechanisms of parasite removal by non-hosts. PhD Thesis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

[20]He said: “Man, being the servant and interpreter of Nature, can do and understand so much and so much only as he has observed in fact or in thought of the course of nature: beyond this he neither knows anything nor can do anything.” The New Organon. 1857.

[21]See “The nine planetary boundaries” available,” https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries/planetary-boundaries/about-the-research/the-nine-planetary-boundaries.html.

[22]See “Sustainable Development Goals,” https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/.

[23]One of the vows of the Bodhisattva; see Sir John Templeton, 1999. Agape Love: A Tradition Found in Eight World Religions, Templeton Press.

[24]Genesis 2:15 (NASB). KJV: "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

[25]Attributed to a follower of Confucius, Xunzi, Master Zi. See “What does Confucianism teach about ecology?” http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=182.

[26]Alliance of Religions and Conservation, “What does Hinduism teach us about ecology,” http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=5.

[27]The Qur'an, 54:49; 55:7

[28]Laudato Si (87), http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.