The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) is proud to recognize the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) as this month’s Outstanding Member of the Month for its work advancing the Rights of Nature across the Philippines.
PMPI is a social development and advocacy network bringing together more than 250 church and faith-based groups, non-governmental organizations, and people’s organizations across the country. Since its establishment in 2003, the network has worked toward a more humane, equitable, and sustainable society grounded in human rights, social justice, and the integrity of creation.
Today, PMPI is helping lead a growing national movement to transform the relationship between people and the natural world.
The movement’s work began gaining national momentum in 2018, when PMPI, together with NASSA/Caritas Philippines and its member organizations, launched a nationwide Rights of Nature campaign through the Salakyag para sa Sangnilika caravan. The campaign travelled from Zamboanga City to Metro Manila, bringing the call for Rights of Nature to communities across the country.
In 2019, a People’s Congress on the Rights of Nature gave birth to Rights of Nature PH, a growing network working to shift the Philippines away from a human-centered and utility-driven relationship with Nature toward one that recognizes the deep interdependence of human and more-than-human life.
That movement continues to expand.
Turning Rights of Nature into policy
PMPI and its partners have been at the forefront of legislative advocacy for the recognition of the Rights of Nature in Philippine law. Today, 37 lawmakers—one senator and 36 members of Congress—are supporting the movement, with eight versions of Rights of Nature legislation filed across both chambers.
The movement has also supported advocacy for an Ecocide Bill, while working to integrate Rights of Nature principles into government policy. These efforts include engagement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Anti-Poverty Commission, as well as ongoing reviews of environmental codes in municipalities, cities, and provinces.
Bringing Rights of Nature into education
PMPI’s work recognizes that lasting change requires more than legislation, but also a transformation in how people understand their relationship with Nature.
Through a partnership with the University of the Philippines Open University, Rights of Nature modules have been integrated into three higher education programs, alongside a dedicated online course that attracted more than 2,000 participants.
The movement has also reached more than 30 organizations through orientations and trained 65 facilitators to support the continued expansion of Rights of Nature education and advocacy.
Building a movement from the ground up
PMPI is also investing in the next generation of Rights of Nature advocates. In 2026, the movement held its second Rights of Nature Youth General Assembly, leading to the creation of a national youth steering committee designed to expand the movement’s reach and strengthen youth engagement.
At the same time, PMPI and Rights of Nature PH are working alongside Indigenous Peoples to document and amplify Indigenous knowledge, governance systems, and practices that can contribute to the protection and regeneration of ecosystems.
This includes conversations that have resulted in declarations from communities including the Bontoc, Cagayan River Basin, and Dumagat-Remontado Peoples.
From local action to ecosystem defense
PMPI is also putting Rights of Nature into practice at the local level.
In Marinduque, PMPI is working with local organizations, the Diocese of Marinduque, and Marinduque State University to pilot a Rights of Nature community exploring regenerative models of community development. This initiative follows the passage of the first local Rights of Nature ordinance in the Philippines, the Marinduque Environmental Code.
Strategic litigation is another emerging area of work. PMPI and its partners are currently developing cases to defend critical ecosystems, including the Sierra Madre and the Verde Island Passage, which was previously presented by the Philippines before the International Rights of Nature Tribunal.
The movement is also exploring what an economy rooted in the Rights of Nature could look like: PMPI and Rights of Nature PH are developing a new economic paradigm based on regenerative principles and the lived experiences of Filipino communities.
Together, these efforts demonstrate the breadth of PMPI’s contribution to the Rights of Nature movement, and how it is helping create the social and institutional foundations for a new relationship with the living world.
GARN is proud to recognize PMPI as our Outstanding Member of the Month and to celebrate the many people and organizations working together through this growing movement.
✨ Nominate yourself, someone else, or an organization for next month’s recognition by joining GARN for free: garn.org/get-involved. Once you join as a member, you’ll receive the link to apply directly in your inbox.
