By CBCP News

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — A Catholic bishop urged society to learn from indigenous peoples’ care for the environment, saying that greed and the pursuit of wealth threaten communities and nature.

Bishop Valentin Dimoc of Bontoc-Lagawe said indigenous communities offer valuable lessons in protecting the environment, especially as economic interests increasingly take priority over ecological concerns.

“When we see a tree or a forest, sometimes we do not see the environmental services like clean water, the whole climate,” Dimoc said during the closing Mass for Indigenous Peoples and Museum Month at Saint Mary’s University in Bayombong on Nov. 4.

He lamented that society often views natural resources as sources of profit rather than recognizing their importance in sustaining life.

Dimoc said indigenous peoples maintain relationships with their surroundings through practices that promote respect for nature and the sustainable use of resources.

He stressed that indigenous identity goes beyond traditional clothing, textiles and rituals, saying it is reflected in people’s values, decisions and way of life.

“Being indigenous is in the mind and heart, in the way we live, in the way we think, in the way that we make decisions,” he said.

The bishop also challenged societies that consider themselves technologically advanced, saying their development often comes with a heavy environmental cost.

He said indigenous communities that live simply and maintain a balanced relationship with nature offer a better measure of progress.

“If environment that balance environment is the measure of this life then the indigenous people especially those who live very simple life they are advanced in their way of life,” Dimoc said.

TOP 📸 : Bishop Valentin Dimoc of Bontoc-Lagawe, vice chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples, presides over the closing Mass for Indigenous Peoples and Museum Month at Saint Mary’s University in Bayombong on Nov. 4, 2026. – THE MARIAN/ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY – BAYOMBONG via CBCP News