JOINT PRESS RELEASE
September 10, 2024
MANILA – Environmental groups, the Environmental Defenders Congress (EDC) and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE), are sounding the alarm over ongoing violence against environmental defenders in the Philippines. According to the latest Global Witness report, “Missing Voices: The Violent Erasure of Land and Environmental Defenders,” the Philippines remains the deadliest country in Asia for these defenders.
Global Witness, an international NGO exposing human rights abuses tied to resource exploitation, reports a grim global tally of 196 murders in 2023, with 17 of those in the Philippines. However, Kalikasan PNE’s own monitoring paints an even darker picture. It recorded 21 killings and 11 abductions involving 19 environmental defenders in the same year.
“The Marcos Jr. administration has failed to stem the tide of violence against those protecting our environment and natural resources,” said Jonila Castro, advocacy officer of Kalikasan PNE. “In fact, repression and militarization have worsened under this regime. Environmental defenders are being red-tagged, harassed, and murdered with impunity.”
The groups noted that beyond killings, defenders face a complex web of attacks including abductions, trumped-up charges, and other forms of harassment. They trace these attacks to the rise of destructive “development” projects under the Marcos Jr. administration—massive mining for renewable minerals, mega-dams, reclamation, and quarrying projects for infrastructure development.
“Environmental defenders play a crucial role in safeguarding our ecosystems and communities from destructive projects masquerading as ‘development’ or even ‘green’ initiatives,” said Eco Dangla, spokesperson for EDC. “Yet instead of recognizing and protecting us, we are being systematically attacked and silenced.”
The report also highlights the increasing use of criminalization as a tactic against defenders. In the Philippines, Kalikasan PNE has documented four incidents involving 14 defenders who were slapped with trumped-up charges. “We are witnessing the weaponization of repressive laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to silence environmental defenders,” Castro added. “This trend of judicial harassment must stop.”
Alarmingly, the report notes the continued militarization and bombing of communities protecting their livelihoods and ecosystems. In several countries— including the Philippines—military forces have been deployed to suppress environmental protests and clear areas for extractive projects. Communities opposing mining, logging, and agribusiness operations have faced aerial bombardments, forced evacuations, and the destruction of homes and livelihoods. These extreme tactics aim to terrorize local populations and forcibly displace them from resource-rich areas.
“The use of military force against civilian environmental defenders represents a dangerous escalation that threatens human rights and critical ecosystems,” said Dangla. “It shows how economic interests are increasingly overriding environmental protections and community rights.”
Both EDC and Kalikasan PNE are demanding immediate action. They call for justice and accountability for the ongoing violence against Filipino environmental defenders, including the prosecution of those responsible. The groups also urge the government to repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act, which they argue has been used to criminalize legitimate activism. They are calling for a moratorium on environmentally destructive projects and for the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill to safeguard activists.
“We will not be cowed by these attacks,” Castro declared. “We call on the Filipino people to stand with environmental defenders as we continue to resist destructive projects and fight for our right to a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment.”
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N.B.1: The Global Witness annual report for 2023, “Missing Voices, can be accessed here: https://www.globalwitness.org/…/environ…/missing-voices/
N.B.2: EDC, Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines, and Kalikasanan PNE will host a public forum and media conference on Tuesday, September 17, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM to present their data on killings, disappearances, and attacks against environmental defenders. The event, KALASAG: Pagpupugay Sa Mga Tanggol-Kalikasan Ng Bayan, will feature testimony from defenders across the Philippines and solidarity messages from personalities like former United Nations Special Rapporteur Ian Fry, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change
N.B.3: Photos taken from the GW report, credits to the photographers.
