Justice elusive for murdered environmental activists in the Philippines
Conservationists, rights groups mark Earth Day with somber calls for accountability.
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| Members of an indigenous tribe in Mindanao call for justice for victims of human rights abuses during a protest in Manila last month |
"Let us not forget our environmental heroes this Earth Day … by committing to continue searching for justice for our environmental martyrs," said Leon Dulce, spokesman of Task Force-Justice for Environmental Defenders.
A report released this week by the London-based watchdog Global Witness showed that almost a third of the 25 environmental activists killed worldwide last year in cases related to mining projects were from the Philippines.
The report, titled ‘How Many More?’, said that in total nine anti-mining activists were murdered in the Philippines in 2014.
"This continues a pattern of Philippines defenders being targeted for their opposition to the country’s mining industry — a sector that operates with very little transparency and regularly fails to consult local communities," the report said.
The report noted that at least 116 environmental activists around the world were murdered in 2014. It said that killings of environmental activists are increasing, with indigenous communities the hardest hit.
"[The government] should be held accountable for virtually promoting a culture of impunity," said Dulce, adding that none of last year’s extrajudicial killing cases had been resolved.
"The families, friends, and comrades of environmental activists ... are surely disappointed," Dulce said, pointing out that at least 47 environmental activists or members of affected communities had been killed in the Philippines since 2010.
Clemente Bautista, head of Kalikasan-People's Network for the Environment, said in recent years numerous cases have been filed in court against perpetrators of such killings, but that nothing has come of it.
"We cannot understand why [the cases] remain pending in court," Bautista told ucanews.com. He said the Department of Justice is not acting "even on cases where the killers have been identified".
Bautista said the Justice department "made a lot of promises" during a dialogue last October "but nothing has happened since".
Bautista cited the case of environmental activist Gerry Ortega who was killed in January 2011. Ortega's alleged killer admitted to the crime and implicated former government officials as the masterminds, but justice department prosecutors absolved the suspects of responsibility. The case remains pending in court.
Other unsolved cases include the murder of Italian missionary priest Fausto Tentorio who was shot dead on October 17, 2011 in North Cotabato province.
Witnesses identified suspects in the killing of Fr Tentorio, who belonged to the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, but no one has been charged. The investigation has also been delayed due to the retraction of statements by suspects and witnesses.
On Wednesday, Fr Peter Geremia, a colleague of Fr Tentorio, said a new witness had surfaced and identified a member of the Arakan town council as one of the masterminds behind the priest's killing.
"I believe he (the witness) knows who are behind the murder of Father Tentorio and I am challenging him to tell-all, just like other people in Arakan whom, I believe, are also knowledgeable about the identities of those who killed Father Tentorio," said Fr Geremia.
"Many are still afraid, but whoever killed Father Tentorio cannot be enjoying freedom forever. He will be haunted by our search for justice," he said.
A clear pattern
The past five years have been "the most dangerous period for environmental activism" especially with the entry of large-scale mining operations in the Philippines, according to Bautista.
Edel Garingan, project officer of the anti-mining campaign of the Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc, noted that "there had been many calls and actions for the government to urgently address" the murder of environmental activists.
"The big question is: Are we being heard?" said Garingan. "The rising number of killings of environmentalists and of the other advocates indicates the answer," he told ucanews.com.
Garingan said the government could only stop the killings if authorities stop "their assertion on the disputed projects that in the long run will only devastate our environment and our people”.
The toll on the environment has also been heavy.
Catholic nun Mary Francis Anonuevo, spokeswoman of the group Defend Patrimony! Alliance, said that aside from the number of anti-mining activists killed in the past five years, "hundreds of billions of pesos worth of minerals were depleted and there was massive destruction of our biodiversity rich areas”.
Data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau show that large-scale mining projects in the Philippines increased from 17 to 46 in the past 20 years. The number of approved mining applications also increased from 282 to 999 covering 869,292 hectares.
Dulce said inaction over the killings of activists has “set a precedent for normalized violence toward people and communities" opposing the destruction of the environment.
The ongoing lack of justice “has made environmentalists into an endangered species”, he added.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima could not be reached for comment on this story. Loretta Ann Rosales, chairwoman of the government's Commission on Human Rights, said she could not answer questions because she was in a meeting.
Source: UCAN
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