A Love That Defies the Storm: Reflecting on the EHRD Guide Launch February is often painted in shades of red and pink – roses gathered in bouquets, handwritten notes in cute cards, quiet dinners, and even grand declarations. But beyond the romance we celebrate with our loved ones, there exists another kind of love –…

In October 2025, ASEAN reached a pivotal milestone by adopting the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment (ADER)—the region’s first comprehensive framework that integrates environmental rights into ASEAN’s human rights system. For the first time, ASEAN collectively acknowledged environmental rights, aligning its position with the United Nations’ 2022…

This Human Rights Month, the Community Legal Help and Public Interest Centre, Inc. (C-HELP) stands in solidarity with Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs) who safeguard our people and planet. We commemorate this occasion by affirming their vital role in protecting communities and ecosystems. In every corner of the country, this solidarity takes shape in real…

There’s a burning rage growing inside every person’s chest every time it rains hard in Manila. It is undeniable how people in Metro Manila grapple through floodwaters every time there’s a weather disturbance. In a span of minutes of torrential rains, Manila alleys become easily inundated. People are tired of romanticizing resilience as they endure…

Take a walk down any grocery aisle and you’ll spot a rainbow of products boasting green labels: “eco-friendly,” “recyclable,” “biodegradable.” It’s a tempting promise—who wouldn’t want their everyday purchases to help save the planet? But here’s the catch: not everything wrapped in green is as good for the environment as it claims. More and more…

Shining a spotlight on one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time—plastic pollution—the Community Legal Help and Public Interest Centre launched an essay writing contest themed ‘HOW DO WE SOLVE THE PLASTIC POLLUTION PROBLEM?’ Through this initiative, C-Help invited young voices from the community to share their ideas, experiences, and visions for a…

Image by gloverbh222 from Pixabay These rainy days hit differently. As floods rise and classes get suspended again, I cannot help but think about how climate change is worsening our monsoon — and how it’s all tied to our dependence on fossil fuels. So while I glance out the window with my work from home…

Image by Nicky from Pixabay UN World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. How organic agriculture helps address the plastic problem is our contribution to the call to action.   Plastic pollution, especially microplastics and nanoplastics, is a growing crisis affecting ecosystems, food security, and human health. While organic agriculture is not a…

Photo taken by Silina Alvarado For many years, people have described Manila Bay in all sorts of ways – polluted, dying, forgotten. What’s there to save, right?   If you stroll by the bay in Mall of Asia, the image of a large, decaying body of water with foul smell and floating scraps and wastes…