Slain activist's son vows to press on

Tribal leader possibly killed because of his conservation work, Philippine police say.

Tribal leader Fausto Orasan

Davao City:  The son of slain tribal leader and environmental champion Fausto Orasan said Wednesday that he will take up the mantle following his father’s assassination on Saturday.

"I want to honor my father and the people who trusted him. Someone has to carry on the fight,” said Jimmy, age 22.

On Saturday, 64-year-old Orasan was shot in the back multiple times in the hinterland village of Tuburan in Cagayan de Oro City, as he was traveling home.

Police said Tuesday they had identified two suspects and were looking into the possibility that Orasan’s anti-logging and anti-mining crusade resulted in his murder.

A well-known activist, Orasan spent decades trying to atone for his role in the destruction of the Mindanao forests. After spending more than 15 years cutting timber, he had a change of heart, his son says.

"He was once a logger, and this was why he was very dedicated to the protection of the environment," Jimmy told ucanews.com.

Jimmy said his father saw the impact that massive deforestation had on rivers, and on food sources that once were enjoyed by tribal communities.

So the elder Orasan, also known as Datu Sandigan, silenced his chainsaw and spent his time farming in an attempt to revive the fertile land.

"He wanted to correct a wrong that he committed in the past," said Jimmy.

Orasan was among tribal leaders in Mindanao who supported legislation aimed at preventing illegal logging and mining operations.

He had opposed the intrusion of mining operators into the ancestral domains of Higaonon tribes, and had been lobbying for government support for an eco-tourism project.

Environmental and indigenous rights activists reacted to news of his death with grief and fury.

"We’ve lost another front-liner," said Carl Cesar Rebuta of the group Friends of the Earth.

Rebuta said Orasan’s death "must serve as a reminder of the role of the public in protecting the environment".

"It is a shared responsibility," he added.

Tribal elder Bae Rose Undag said Orasan's death "speaks of the desperation of those whose interests in mining and illegal logging have been threatened by his determination to fight”.

"They could not think of any other way to silence him other than to murder him," he said.

According to the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines, 44 indigenous people, including four children and five women, have been killed by state forces in the country since 2010.

Most of those killed were indigenous leaders and community members whose lands were affected by the development of large-scale mining projects.

Source: ucanews.com