DEFEND THE DEFENDERS!
- Guest
- Dec 4
- 3 min read
Eco Dangla and Jak Tiong are environmentalists with a strong record for leading the campaigns against many of the injustices that our environment is facing at the hands of profiteering oligarchs, monopoly capitalists, and greedy businessmen.
Eco and Jak were abducted on March 24, 2024 in San Carlos City, Pangasinan. While held captive, the two suffered from physical abuse, psychological torture, beatings, and death threats. Such barbaric methods were utilized by their captors in order to extract a false confession from the two activists that they were members of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army.
After enduring almost 3 days of cruelty at the hands of the state, they were released. Seeking legal protection for his family, petitions for the writ of amparo and writ of habeas data were filed by Dangla before the Supreme Court. A total of 4 sessions were conducted to hear the case of Dangla but as proceedings went along, his family remained vulnerable.
A decision to deny the petitions of Dangla was reached by the Court of Appeals which was penned by Associate Justice Emilio Rodolfo Y. Legaspi III citing that the evidence was insufficient to establish that the abductors were state forces.
A motion for reconsideration was filed by Dangla, assisted by his lawyers from the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL), on September 29. However, the harassment of his family persisted.
Environmentalists trooped to the Court of Appeals in order to protest the ongoing harassment faced by Dangla and Tiong’s family. Black ribbons covering the protesters' eyes depicted the negligence of authorities towards the case.
Data from the international watchdog states that the Philippines has the highest number of recorded killings between 2012 - 2023. Globally, the Philippines’ ranks 5th with the deaths of 17 environmental defenders being recorded for 2023 alone.
The Philippines is still the most dangerous country for environmental defenders in Asia despite a worsening climate crisis globally that devastates our local communities yearly.
This is accompanied by a backdrop of neoliberal policies whose developmental framework focuses on infrastructure funded by foreign capital. Within the halls of our government institutions, the primacy of profit and capital is apparent which is consequential in context to its effects on alleviating the climate crisis.
While our politicians and their cronies line their pockets with money stolen from public coffers, our people suffer. Repression is but a desperate attempt to maintain a status quo that has long neglected the grievances of our communities. The corruption scandals that have surfaced has agitated the Filipino people, demanding accountability from a government that attempts to pacify this boiling discontent.
Instead of holding to account the individuals responsible for pilfering money which could have aided millions, the government’s recourse is to heighten state repression and pacify those who seek accountability and justice.
Not a single politician or contractor has answered for their crimes. Deceptive investigations only seek to prolong the path to accountability and legitimize a flawed justice system that is easily altered by the political interests of those who hold power from within.
Ultimately, it is the Filipino people who suffer for the corruption of those in power. Consecutive flooding in the communities brought by the frequent landfall of typhoons have devastated our nation, claiming countless lives and livelihoods.
Environmentalists must be supported for their sacrifice amidst a worsening climate of violence. Environmental defense is our strongest contribution to climate mitigation and we call upon the youth, who benefit the most from a sustainable and resilient environment, to defend their future.
The Climate Change Network for Community-based Initiatives (CCNCI) stands by Eco and Jak in their struggle for accountability and justice. The defense of the environment is a noble cause and must be respected and emulated by the youth in continuing the struggle for climate justice.
Comments