PENANG, Malaysia – Regional advocacy group PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) today urged President Marcos Jr. to order government forces to stop the alleged intimidation of participants in an ongoing international solidarity mission in several rural communities in the Philippines affected by climate disasters, militarization, and human rights abuses.
The group issued the statement after multiple reports of surveillance and harassment of mission participants, including foreign delegates, visiting communities in Leyte, Mindoro, and Rizal provinces, and the capital Manila.
PANAP reminded the Marcos Jr. government that the world is watching and that further acts of intimidation will only reinforce the country’s reputation as the most dangerous place in Asia for farmers, indigenous peoples, and other advocates of the people’s rights to land and resources.
Organized by the Peoples Rising for Climate Justice (PRCJ), the “Grounding Solidarity: A Learning and Solidarity Mission to Communities Affected by Climate Injustice and Militarism” aims to build global support for Philippine communities defending their lands, resources, and rights amid the worsening climate crisis and the country’s increasing militarization. The international solidarity mission started on October 11 and will end on October 15.
“The reports of intimidation that the mission organizers and participants have been sharing are concerning, considering the Philippines’ reputation for human rights violations, especially against farmers, indigenous peoples, and land and environmental activists,” said PANAP deputy executive director Arnold Padilla.
Padilla noted that PANAP’s report released earlier this year tagged the Philippines as the deadliest country in Asia for farmers, indigenous peoples, and activists advocating for land rights. In its “Land & Rights Watch” 2024 report published last August, PANAP reported monitoring six killings related to land conflicts and struggles in the Philippines, resulting in nine victims. Aside from the killings, PANAP also monitored 10 cases of arrests, detention, and legal persecution in the Philippines last year, with 41 victims, as well as nine cases of threats, harassment, and physical assault with 11 victims.
“Many rural communities in the Philippines face multiple oppressions and injustices. They are often the most affected by climate disasters like typhoons and floods, which are worsened by systemic corruption and neglect. They are pushed off their farms and indigenous lands to make way for large mining operations, commercial plantations, or infrastructure projects that deepen the causes and effects of the climate crisis,” Padilla said.
Instead of intimidating the participants of the international solidarity mission, PANAP said that the Philippine government should allow the organizers to document and report the stories of the communities affected by the climate crisis and militarization, and seriously consider the mission’s recommendations to address the issues.
PANAP is a member of the PRCJ. Several of its partners from various Asian countries are part of the international solidarity mission.
