The ongoing construction of the Divine Mercy Mountain for Prayer and Healing in Barangay Sirao, Cebu City lit reactions from the online community when CDN Digital posted pictures of monkeys wandering near the site. How do we balance spirituality, development, and environmental conservation?
Cebu City Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. discovered the project on February 10, and learned that the construction is owned by Elena Juntilla, ongoing for nearly three years. Alcover comments that the religious site will become a new tourist spot, hence, benefiting locals like habal-habal drivers. Elena labels the project as “her gift to the community”.
Aside from the online community, Father Loreto Jaque also contrasts this enthusiasm. “Until when will we realize that spirituality is not just about constantly building statues where we kneel or recite the rosary, but rather, it should also be about caring for and appreciating the environment of non-human beings, like these monkeys,” he says on a Facebook post. The ongoing construction threatens the monkeys’ natural habitat, and since pictures started to resurface online, many raised questions regarding the ethical implications of putting religious structures before environmental conservation, including Father Jaque himself.
Social media users are giving their two cents on the topic, saying that we already have enough and maybe too many tourist attractions in our area, much more religious structures. Some are saying that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should look into this project and intervene.
As a response, Councilor Alcover acknowledges the disadvantages of the project, but goes on to say that the intention was never to harm the environment or displace the monkeys. He assures everyone that there is a caretaker in the construction that feeds the monkeys.
However, what happens to them after the construction is over? How will the monkeys be protected, and what measures will be taken to still care for them when the site is swarmed by tourists? The sustainability of what Councilor Alcover responded remains in question, and many continue to raise the importance of respecting and preserving the local ecosystem.
