Green groups stand with red-tagged activists
MANILA, Philippines — Environmental advocates pressed the government to ensure that the lives and liberties of those peacefully exercising their constitutionally-guaranteed rights are upheld and protected.
The green groups in a statement issued Sunday condemned the 24 joint searches by the military and national police across the Calabarzon region that yielded the deaths of nine activists on Sunday, March 8.
Last Monday evening saw the fatal shooting of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino by local cops whom witnesses say were in uniform but were wearing bonnets.
As in many cases of killings by state forces, police claim the deaths were caused by the victims shooting at them, prompting them to shoot back in self-defense.
For the people, too: The groups said that "a fight for Mother Earth is a fight for her children too" as they condemned the killings that claimed the lives of nine activists and labor organizers.
“As an exponent of a rights-based approach to societal development, we are seriously concerned about the ever-shrinking space for activism in the country, especially for individuals and groups that have been maliciously red-tagged and attacked,” Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of the nonprofit EcoWaste Coalition, said in the statement.
The Philippine National Police said the nine killed in Calabarzon had violently resisted arrest and military and police officials have since
Lea Guerrero, country director of Greenpeace Philippines, which described itself as "an environmental organization that values non-violence and promotes peace and justice," also denounced the spate of killings of Filipino activists.
“Activist killings must stop. We stand in solidarity with activists in the Philippines and around the world who carry the burden of persecution and risk in their important work to enable peaceful, positive social change for the sake of marginalized sectors and the planet,” she said.
“We demand justice and peace for activists of all causes and call for the urgency of having effective protection mechanisms for those who are peacefully defending our rights and the environment,” she added.
Sectors call out impunity: A multitude of groups across various sectors, including progressive group Akbayan Party-list, have issued similar calls for justice and reform within the national police.
On Saturday, faculty and staff of Ateneo de Manila University condemned the killings, calling Executive Order No. 70 a "license for a more ruthless and militaristic 'enemy-centered' approach."
An organization of Catholic schools on Wednesday also urged Filipinos to reject the "normalization of killings" in society.
Environmental policy expert and lawyer Tony La Viña is quoted by the group as saying: “I condemn these killings. Judicial orders are now death warrants."
Zero waste and clean air advocate Rene Pineda in the groups' statement also said that “the dark and horrible history of the Martial Law Rule is repeated,” stressing that “this is deplorable and has to be stopped.”
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