From listening to action, the third conference of Taon ng pakikinig was held, May 1, 2026, at the Sisters of Mary Girlstown in Silang Cavite. Guided by the theme “May Pakikisangkot,” the conference was attended by about 367 members of the Diocese of Imus, led by the Most Reverend Reynaldo G. Evanglista, D.D., Bishop of Imus, joined by the clergy, religious and lay members.

The conference began with a Prayer led by Rev. Fr. Ashpaul A. Castillo, followed by the giving of reminders and reflections on past conferences by the emcees. An audio-video presentation prepared by the Ministry of Research and Social Communication was shown to help everyone recall what transpired from the first two conferences The emcees also asked the participation of the audience by asking who among them have attended the past conferences by asking them to raise their hands.

The first talk on “The Socio-Cultural Landscape of Cavite” which was presented in-depth by the experts Dr. Jan Phillip Mallari and Dr. Emmanuel Calairo from De la Salle University - Dasmariñas. They explained how the industrialization and urbanization of Cavite began, describing the changes not only on the physical and infrastructural parts, but also the population and demography of the province which rapidly changed. They emphasized the effects of this rapid industrialization and urbanization such as population increase which also brought changes in the Filipino culture, holy week practices, gender roles and identity, decline of traditional culture, changes in the language spoken such as Chavacano, use of po and opo as well as pagmamano, family and marriage issues including morality, changes in traditional beliefs and customs, superstitions, health and medicinal plants, religious beliefs and faith. They also presented the challenges in preserving the heritage of the past in the context of Cavite, which paid a revisit to the Spanish legacies, the development of Nationalism, the establishment of the Republic, the period when we were under the American tutelage, the Japanese occupation, Martial Law touching as well the transformation and modernization of our culture and the new Philippines which they summed up as : “Surviving Cultural Traditions Thru the Centuries.” They further emphasized that these changes cannot simply be considered as bad or good change because the evil or goodness they bring depends only on the lenses or perspective of the community members.

The second talk on the “Status of Plastic Pollution in Cavite: The Case of Imus River and Manila Bay” which was discussed by Dr. Jose Aims Rosina and Dr. Johnny Ching focusing on the results of their study titled “Assessment of Plastic Pollution in the Province of Cavite.” The study covered the upstream part of the Imus River starting from the municipality of Silang, passing the cities of Dasmarinas down to the cities of Imus and Bacoor to the Kawit downstream .They presented the results of the study such as the high awareness of people on the negative effects of plastic pollution in the Imus River, the types of wastes and the amount of it found in the river during their study, its impact on the health and livelihood of the community, as well as the high positive outlook and good steps taken to save the river. Based on the results of the study, they recommended that environmental education be further intensified, especially among the youth, that all the rules or policies related to environmental protection be properly implemented, and that all sectors be encouraged to participate in this endeavor, such as all community members, Local Government Units (LGUs), Non-Government Units (NGOs), and the private sector. In the reflection and analysis part, they emphasized that we are now living in a modern era where everything is almost under the control of one person (Big Brother) – capitalists – who are trying to seize and change everything, may this modern lifestyle and concerns - garbage, , pollution, acid rain, ozone depletion, global warming, and biological warfare) not lead us to our own  graves. They also reminded everyone that these all rooted in a lack of conscience, selfishness and materialism and that the only solution is to invest in the new generation and the future, as Pope Francis has long taught in his encyclical “Laudatu Si’, On Care for Our Common Home”. The gathering ended with the sharing of answers to questions from the members of each Listening Circle and some reminders for the next schedule and conferences made by emcees.

The team has listened to the residents. The team has also listened to the river itself. The nature and the changes in our society have spoken, we have listened to the realities of the environment and even the realities of the Church, it’s time to get involved in steps that will restore the dignity of man and all of creation. As part of the new generation, may each one of us become a significant part of the solution and the positive change that we hope for our country and for the whole world.

Written by: Wency Provido | Social Communications, Diocese of Imus