MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines remains the most dangerous country in Asia for land and environmental defenders, accounting for 68% of the recorded killings and enforced disappearances in the region in 2023, the watchdog Global Witness found.
Of the 25 defenders in Asia whose lives were taken away in 2023, 17 of them came from the Philippines, where 10 were killed and seven have disappeared. India recorded five such cases, while Indonesia had three.
In 2023, a total of 196 defenders were killed or forcibly disappeared worldwide, with Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, Mexico and Philippines ranking as the top five most dangerous countries.
“The Marcos Jr. administration has failed to stem the tide of violence against those protecting our environment and natural resources,” Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kaliaksan PNE) advocacy officer Jonila Castro said in a statement.
“In fact, repression and militarization have worsened under this regime. Environmental defenders are being red-tagged, harassed, and murdered with impunity,” she added.
Data shows that the targeted killings and enforced disappearances of green activists in the Philippines have risen by 54.5%, up from 11 cases in 2022.
Global Witness has been documenting lethal threats against land and environmental defenders since 2012, and throughout this period, violence toward these individuals has been most concentrated in the Philippines.
From 2012 to 2023, 64% of the 468 recorded deaths and enforced disappearances in Asia occurred in the country.
Who were they? Majority of the 17 Filipinos listed were small-scale farmers, seven of which were tagged as “murdered” and two as “disappeared.”
In a constant battle against land grabbing, indigenous peoples are also common victims of murder and enforced disappearances. One of them was killed and two could no longer be found.
Globally, the report found that nearly half of the total number of defenders killed and forcibly disappeared in 2023 were indigenous peoples and Afrodescendents.
Children and relatives of targeted defenders are equally at risk, constituting three of the 17 killed in 2023.
While Global Witness could not identify the industries behind the attacks, their report revealed that most of the perpetrators were from the armed forces.
Here are the names of the 17 land and environmental defenders who were forcibly taken or killed:
- Ben Fausto
- Arjie Velasco Salvador
- Antonio Diwayan
- Rey Almario Belan
- Ravin Fausto
- Dexter Capuyan
- Lee Sudario
- Gene Roz Jamil De Jesus
- Roly Fausto
- Danny Malinao
- Mariano Jolongbayan
- Crispin Tingal Jr
- Emelda Fausto
- Bea Lopez
- Jose Gonzales
- Norman Ortiz
- Peter Agravante
Local monitoring findings. Environmental rights group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE), meanwhile, said in a statement that they have recorded an even higher number of human rights abuses against green activists in 2023.
The group tallied a total of 21 killings and 11 abductions in 2023, which Kalikasan PNE said had affected 19 environmental defenders.
Kalikasan PNE and the Environmental Defenders Congress, another green rights group, reported that these attacks target those opposing excessive mining, mega-dam construction and reclamation and quarrying projects.
Attacks persist in 2024
Environmental defender Rowenda Dasig remains missing even after her reported release from Lucena City District Jail on August 22.
Dasig was arrested alongside community health worker Miguela Peniero by armed forces in Atimonan, Quezon in July 2023 on charges of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives. Charges against Dasig were only dismissed over a year after her arrest, on August 13, due to lack of evidence, while Peniero remains in detention.
Dasig and Peniero were detained while studying the potential environmental impacts of Atimonan One Energy, Inc.’s construction of a combined cycle gas turbine power plant and liquefied natural gas facility.
They were examining how this power plant and facility, which burns natural gas and utilizes steam to generate power, might affect the health and livelihoods of coconut farmers and fisherfolk communities in Atimonan, Quezon.
The Commission on Human Rights has since investigated the case, urging for the stricter implementation of Republic Act 10352 or the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012.
Besides Dasig and Peniero, two other environmental defenders were reportedly abducted recently.
More are missing. Felix Salaveria Jr., a 66-year-old cyclist and indigenous peoples’ rights activist, went missing on August 28 in Tabaco City, Albay. This happened five days after labor activist and fellow cyclist James Jazmines disappeared.
Meanwhile, Andy Magno, a graduate of UP Manila and former chairperson of the environment organization Minggin, was abducted on September 11 in San Pablo, Isabela alongside migrant workers’ advocate Vladimir Maro.
Earlier this year, two other environmental defenders Francisco ‘Eco’ Dangla III and Joxelle ‘Jak’ Tiong were found on March 28, days after their abduction in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.
Attacks against environmental defenders in the Philippines are not limited to killings and enforced disappearances.
Rights groups have reported ongoing red-tagging, intimidation, harassment and arbitrary detention of individuals opposing government and private sector infrastructure projects that exploit the country’s resources and displace communities.
"Environmental defenders play a crucial role in safeguarding our ecosystems and communities from destructive projects masquerading as 'development' or even 'green' initiatives. Yet instead of recognizing and protecting us, we are being systematically attacked and silenced," Dangla, EDC spokesperson said in a statement.