Greenpeace Southeast Asia


Let’s get to work…. by Chuck Baclagon
October 11, 2010, 8:48 am
Filed under: Greenpeace, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: , , , ,

We need our politicians to Get to Work.

The past week leading up to last week was a rush. It has been quite a while since we have seen ourselves as part of something bigger, but then again it’s easy to be anaesthetized if much time is spent working within the framework of your organization only. However, the Global Work Party comes as a wake-up call, not only to world leaders but for people like me, as I’ve often worked within the confines of the office.
I remember yesterday as I was speaking at the last of the various Global Work Party activities that we went to and I was wearing a TckTckTck t-shirt and I said: “I’m wearing this t-shirt to demonstrate the irony of the climate problem as TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance, One of over 10,000 events in nearly every country on earth organized by TckTckTck partners and supporters in 2009 representing hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life, who are united by a desire to see a strong global deal on climate change. It was made up of leading environment, development, and faith-based NGO’s, youth groups, trade unions and individuals, and we are calling for a fair, ambitious and binding climate change agreement.
Continue reading



Bearing witness at the seminary by Chuck Baclagon
September 15, 2010, 2:13 pm
Filed under: Greenpeace, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: , ,
I’m pretty sure that many are not aware that apart from doing web work at Greenpeace for the past five years, I am also a seminarian working taking up a Master’s Degree in Theology at the Asian Theological Seminary.
Personally, I find my work with Greenpeace congruent with the Christian faith that I adhere to and in fact I look at my being here as a vocation to that which I hold dear –the environment, and the web of relationships that it sustains.
Yesterday I was invited to give a short talk at an event in the seminary entitled The Green Life, organized by a care group called Friends of Life.
As a Christian coming from an environmental organization I count myself blessed to be a part of that ceremony because it is a wonderful thing that is experienced rarely inside Christian churches.
I shared a bit about the Greenpeace core value of ‘bearing witness’ which I defined as an obligation to act according to our conscience –and it is my hope that the event would sow the seeds for more Christians to ‘bear witness’ to the need for a greener and peaceful future where life in its fullness is shared and enjoyed by all creatures great and small.
For those of you interested in the details of the talk I gave click here for the transcript 😉
Chuck Baclagon


I will return to share what I learnt here … We can make change… by Chuck Baclagon
July 27, 2010, 10:11 am
Filed under: Indonesia, Life at work, Volunteers | Tags: , ,

I am very grateful to be selected as one of the Greenpeace University (GPU) students 2010. There are only nine of us representing Indonesia and Malaysia. Of course that makes me proud. I’m proud to be here among those who came from various regions in Indonesia; Didit, Mayang, Novi, Rika, Sheila, Silka, Viktor, and Simpson from Malaysia. You are all my great friends.

From the beginning I promised myself that I would open my mind to accept all the materials that we would be given at the Greenpeace University. Many people didn’t agree with my choice to take part in GPU. They said things like “Greenpeace is eco-fascist”, “Greenpeace is not the organization that fights for the prosperity of communities”, “You should stay at home, you will learn more here…” But may people also supported me, congratulating me on being one of the chosen few to be a GPU student. I also asked to return to Aceh and help with their advocacy work after the graduation. Their motivation made me believe I will be able to become a better campaigner in future.

Continue reading



SONA reflection on the state of water in the Philippines by Chuck Baclagon

Every year the President of the Republic of the Philippines, opens the resumption of the joint session of the Congress to report on the status of the nation in what we call the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Early this morning a handful of Greenpeace volunteers and concerned citizens together with Fr. Robert Reyes, Former Representative Nereus Acosta and Former Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, Bebeth Gozun braved Commonwealth Avenue, in Quezon City all the way to Batasan Pambansa, starting their march from Quezon City Hall, where Fr. Reyes was able to speak about the ‘real state of the nation’ in as far as the water crisis that Metro Manila and nearby provinces in Luzon are experiencing as the Angat Watershed’s dam reached a historical low of 157.55 masl last July 16 despite the rains, triggering interrupted water supply in Metro Manila.  Prompting water utility companies to implement a water rationing scheme to address the dwindling volume of water in the reservoir.

Continue reading



Updates From the Dam to the Farmlands by ocho

As I walked in the 5 hectares of land in Brgy. Mangumbali, Candaba Pampanga, I can feel the land crumbling under my feet. The land is so dried that Mr. Numeriano Alabado was not able to harvest any rice crop that he planted in his area. His fields are now full of bigcracks that if you’re not cautious, the soil might collapse.

Their water source is from UPRIS-Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System.Pantabangan Dam is the main source of their irrigation system, because the dam has stopped supplying water due to drought; their rice lands have been destroyed. Almost all the farmers in this town have lost their income due to extreme drought. All of them we’re saying that this was the first time that they’ve experienced this kind of phenomenon.

The local government provided them aid by giving them STW or Shallow Tube Well but its already late to be use for this season because of lack of water. For them, only rain could restore their devastated lands.

A.C. Dimatatac


Earth Day 2010: Love and life by Chuck Baclagon

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

22 April 2010: Earth Day

It is almost midnight.

Earth Day is only minutes away from being over. Another day, has passed and like in so many things that are subject to time, this day now becomes part of  my memories and are now recorded as a chapter in my life.

I am more than glad that this remembrance of Earth Day was done with the celebration of the life of a dear person with whom I count myself fortunate to have as a friend .

Perhaps it is safe to say that in as far as speaking about Earth Day and the need to uphold the urgent struggle of safeguarding the environment, the celebration of Earth Day and the work for those in the environmental movement must always be reflected in the context of love for life –and I am not talking here about token sentimentally about Mother Nature, nor am I simply being a bleeding heart for the cute and cuddly animals, nor am I romanticizing my love for the outdoors –far from it!

While it is true that the aforementioned things are part of the things that bear weight in my decision to commit myself to my work with Greenpeace, a larger part of me recognizes the resolute urgency of taking action for the environment lies in the love that can be found in life that is shared in relationships –relationships that can be found in that of parents, grandparents, children, siblings, relatives friends, comrades, kindred spirits and lovers.

Continue reading



Greenpeace boat team: Saan galing ang tubig na iniinom nyo? by Chuck Baclagon

Greenpeace boat team members, Tomas and Moss show us where our drinking water comes from.

Continue reading



Water Watch: Day 5 by Chuck Baclagon

When the GMA news crew arrived at camp today, we had to make some quick decisions whether it would be prudent to bring them along with us to try and cross the Kamanoyo mountain to get to the main body of Matulid River on the other side.  According to the AWAT rangers, it usually takes Dumagats around 30-45 minutes to cross the forest. But Dumagats are fairly known to move like Spiderman even on the sheer slopes of Angat.  We were also told that the last time a band of AWAT personnel crossed Kamanoyo, it took them seven hours, but they didn’t have a Dumagat guide with them that time. Continue reading



Can you count how many they are? by Chuck Baclagon

View of the night sky from the Water Watch Campsite.

Astronomers say that on a clear, moonless night in a place far away from city lights, you should be able to see about 2000 stars. The darker the skies, the more stars you can see. Astronomers have calculated that there are about 6,000 stars potentially visible with the unaided eye, below are images of the night sky at the Water Watch camp, could you count how many stars there are in the pictures?

Continue reading



Day 4 in pictures by Chuck Baclagon

Here are some images on our 4th day on camp:

The Water Watch team.

Continue reading