Kanlaon, Myths and Wildlife, Painting by Masaste

No Law to Allow the Sale, Rape, and Murder of Mother Earth

A feminist view of the PNOC-EDC geothermal development of our natural park.

By Andrea L. Si for Development Through Active Women Networking Foundation, Inc.

In the past, the earth was seen as an object that existed for the comfort and convenience of the human being. The earth was like a car. It was there to serve. It had no life of its own and it had no rights. To a certain extent, you can replace car parts when they break down. Likewise, it was believed that you could cut trees and replant, mine for resources underground, move mountains, and the earth wouldn't be any worse for these.

Now we know better. Today, we suffer from floods, super typhoons, long droughts, pollution, strong earthquakes, climate change, diseases that no matter how far medical science advances, are always a step ahead. Once fertile lands are no longer productive because they have been overused for agriculture and poisoned with chemicals. Waters once teeming with fish and marine life are now barren and in many places, dead. And where the earth gets sick or dies, people get sick and die. There is no changing the equation.

So now we know what tribal people who live close to the earth and are sensitive to its rhythms know. The earth is a living being and our lives are intertwined with hers. And since it is the earth that gives us life and sustains life (you can say God through the  earth), it is no wonder that we say "Mother Earth."

The earth and all living creatures on earth, not just humans, not just higher forms of animal or plant species, that all creatures, whether they breathe or not, have a right to be (ex., the mountain to be a mountain, the river to be a river, the sea to be a sea), and it is not our almighty prerogative as men to decide that we can change the landscape or the populations and species of animals and plants as we please.

Do you know that the way people tend to treat the earth as an object to do with as they please is also the way men thought they had a right to treat women as objects to do with as they pleased? For many generations, it was believed that women were created for no other purpose except to be man's helper, at the same time, the ones who would give men comfort and pleasure. That's why it was so easy for men to abuse, batter, rape, buy and sell, and kill women. And as woman was created for man's pleasure, if the woman no longer pleased the man, it was understandable if the man satisfied himself with another woman. After all, objects are replaceable and they have no rights. 

When we see that the earth is truly our mother and that our lives and well-being are intertwined with hers, we should know that absolutely nothing justifies our raping, mutilating, or killing our mother even a little at a time (like PNOC-EDC is asking for only 12.5 hectares of 24,000 plus hectares). And of course, no mother is for sale even in the name of progress and development and there is a law that allows the sale, mutilation and rape of mothers.