Filipino bishops and laity fighting for justice and human rights

THERE are many unsung, brave and strong-minded Filipinos willing to stand up for their people and fight for their lands and protect the environment, and thousands more are ready to sacrifice themselves. They work to defend children's rights; rescue, protect, and heal victims of abuse and human trafficking; and fight for the environment, as well as people's lands and human rights. Among them, too, are courageous journalists who continue to tell the truth despite harassment and death threats, and a few bishops and priests have also spoken out to defend the innocent and have been falsely accused themselves.

An international environmental group has said the Philippines is the most dangerous place in Asia for defenders of ecology and land rights. More than 114 out of 270 land and environment defenders murdered were Indigenous leaders trying to protect their way of life and lands. The research on this was done by Global Witness, an environmental-protection nongovernment organization (NGO) in the United Kingdom. Most of the murders and land-grabbing have been done in Mindanao. In a report, the NGO's researchers found that most of these murders were committed because of "protests by defenders against company operations." They said a "third of the killings are linked to the mining industry, closely followed by the agribusiness sector." They alleged that "state forces are behind the majority of killings in the few cases where the identity of the perpetrators is documented."