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PH is 5th most dangerous country in the world for environment defenders: report

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Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News 

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Environmental groups troop to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources headquarters in Quezon City on Friday, March 3, 2023, to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. The groups oppose the continued implementation of the mining law that allegedly contributes to the worsening pollution, impacts negatively on communities, and affects climate change. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/09/13/20230303-denr-climate-protest-mt-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Environmental groups troop to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources headquarters in Quezon City on Friday, March 3, 2023, to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. The groups oppose the continued implementation of the mining law that allegedly contributes to the worsening pollution, impacts negatively on communities, and affects climate change. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>PH still &#x27;worst place&#x27; in Asia for environmental defenders</p><p>MANILA —The Philippines ranked 5th among the most dangerous places in the world for land and environmental defenders, with 11 killed in 2022, a Global Witness report has shown. </p><p>According to the international non-profit organization&#x27;s September report, 16 environmental defenders were killed in Asia last year, three of the killings were in Indonesia and two were in India. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/07/23/mother-of-missing-environment-advocate-appeals-for-help">Mother of missing environment advocate appeals for help</a></li></ul><p>The Philippines, Global Witness said, &quot;topped the ranking in the region every year without exception&quot; and was still the &quot;worst place&quot; in Asia for environmental defenders in 2022.</p><p>&quot;The Philippines has consistently ranked as the worst place in Asia for land and environmental defenders, with 281 people killed since 2012,&quot; the Global Witness report read. </p><p>&quot;Of these, a third were linked to defenders speaking out against company operations linked to the mining sector,&quot; it added. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Global Witness report 2022" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/09/13/graph.png"/><figcaption>Global Witness report 2022</figcaption></figure></div><p>The group said President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. — who has said <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/22/22/marcos-jr-turns-spotlight-on-illegal-small-scale-mining">sustainable mining</a> is important for economic recovery — failed to address alleged human rights violations. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/25/22/marcos-jr-open-to-sustainable-mining">Marcos Jr. open to &#x27;sustainable&#x27; mining, wary of open-pit mining</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Instead, he has focused his agenda on business and economic interests, raising continued concerns amongst civil society about an increase in mining and other resource exploitation at the cost of human rights and the safety of defenders,&quot; the group said in its report. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2802812" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Global Witness said 177 environment defenders were killed across the world in 2022. More than a third of the victims were indigenous people. </p><p>Colombia topped the list with 60, followed by Brazil with 34, and Mexico with 31. </p><p>Among those reported killed last year were lawyers, journalists, officials, and protesters. </p><p>&quot;Some of those killed were not even the target of attacks, but happened to be with the murdered defender at the time of the killing. This illustrates the wider impact of attacks on families and communities,&quot; it said. </p><p>&quot;All of them shared a commitment to defend their rights and keep the planet healthy. All of them paid for their courage and commitment with their lives.&quot; </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/13/23/colombia-deadliest-country-for-green-activists-in-2022-report">Colombia deadliest country for green activists in 2022: report</a></li></ul><p>In an interview over Radyo 630, Kalikasan People’s Network national coordinator Jon Bonifacio said it was &quot;alarming&quot; that for the past decade, the Philippines still topped the list of Asian countries in terms of these types of killings. </p><p>Asked if the Duterte and Marcos administration&#x27;s push for mining activities could have exacerbated the attacks, Bonifacio said it was possible. </p><p>&quot;Sa ngayon, since ang report natin ay nagtatala pa lang ng first 6 months ng Marcos administration kasi last year pa &#x27;yung data na &#x27;yan, pero sa mga recent na pronouncements na pinapapasok na ang mining... sa tail-end ng Duterte administration,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Ganoon din, nag-lift na ng mining ban... actually linked din yun sa mga escalating na attacks. Hindi necessary killing sa ngayon... hopefully hindi siya mangyari pero may mga kaso ng mga arrest, trumped-up charges, iba&#x27;t ibang kaso na ginagawa laban dito sa mga defenders na tumataguyod sa mga karapatan sa kalikasan,&quot; he said. </p><p>The report came weeks after two environment advocates went missing after reportedly being abducted by four individuals in Orion, Bataan.</p><p>Aldrin Salanga of the Kalikasan People’s Network said the abduction of the two environment advocates may have something to do with reclamation projects along the Manila Bay area.</p><p>In 2021, two forest rangers of the Masungi Georeserve Foundation in Rizal were wounded after being shot during their rounds, with a conservationist saying that the attack is related to the government’s closure orders against illegal establishments in the protected areas they are managing there.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BkiwoebbHNk?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Colombia topped the list with 60, followed by Brazil with 34, and Mexico with 31. 

PH is 5th most dangerous country in the world for environment defenders: report

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PH is 5th most dangerous country in the world for environment defenders: report

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 13, 2023 04:03 PM PHT

|

Updated September 13, 2023 07:54 PM PHT

Read More:

environmental defenders

Global Witness report

Global Witness report 2022

2022 Global Witness environmental defenders

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