PMCJ condemns reported harassment on its Cebu office, calls for urgent appeal
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Quezon City, Philippines — The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ)–Cebu Chapter reported a harassment incident where unidentified men attempted to break into their office at midnight of February 27, according to the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) as they sought for appellants for an urgent appeal to compel government agencies to investigate the incident.
“Our members in Cebu are hardworking people and human rights defenders. They are leaders of their communities. What happened is a brazen threat that they do not deserve—no one should be endangered because of their advocacy. We take this incident seriously and we condemn it to the highest degree,” said PMCJ National Coordinator Ian Rivera.
“Just last year, Rowena Dasig went missing for two months after being acquitted by the court from baseless charges while they were conducting research on the community impact of the proposed combined cycle gas turbine power project and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Atimonan, Quezon. This is just one of the many cases, reported or not, against climate activists and environmental defenders,” Rivera added.
In July 2016, Gloria Capitan, an anti-coal leader of Coal Free Bataan Movement was gunned down inside her home in the presence of her grandson. Her case remains unresolved to date. Gloria was very vocal against the hazardous San Miguel Corporation coal stockpile in Brgy. Lucanin, Mariveles, Bataan.
Rivera explained that little has improved in the country since 2023 when the Philippines was named by Global Witness as the worst in Asia for environmental defenders, and fifth in the world.
PMCJ Member Victor Sumampong, who was inside the PMCJ-Cebu office at the time of the incident, said he only found out about the attempted break-in the following morning after a visitor told him of a helmet-covered man being picked up by two others in a motorcycle before fleeing the scene, according to TFDP.
PMCJ Cebu Convenor Teodorico Duran Navea, said that he noticed motorcycles in front of their office just a week before the incident. “There have also been surveillance operations before because of our stance against the coal plant expansion in Toledo City,” Navea added.
“We have seen how these coal plants affect the environment. Not just with their emissions burning our atmosphere, the coal fired power plants in Toledo City also poison municipal waters and the people in the communities,” Rivera said. He added that the proposed expansion of the coal plant would further exacerbate the destruction of marine life in the area as well as worsen the already dire health conditions in the area because of the toxic chemicals the coal plants produce.
PMCJ Legal Team Head Atty. Aaron Pedrosa said that there is an increasing trend of red-tagging and vilification of climate justice rights defenders as resistance to fossil fuel projects intensifies. “Filipinos’ rights to speak out against injustices are protected under our Constitution and various international covenants of human rights. Despite these, human rights defenders continue to live in the line of fire. Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas is a continuing story of silencing and intimidating critics, and this will persist unless dissent is tolerated and protected.”
At present, a Human Rights Defenders Bill remains pending in Congress. The Bill, if signed into law, seeks to address human rights violations and abuses including cases of harassment experienced by PMCJ Cebu. Rivera and Pedrosa were themselves previously red-tagged.
Despite the danger, Rivera said the work must continue. “With the short window remaining before catastrophic climate change, the fight against the proliferation and operation of coal and fossil gas plants must continue. PMCJ is not deterred by these attacks. We and the communities will defend ourselves and file cases of these abuses. These companies behind these dirty energy and We know that the enemies we are gathering in the fight for climate justice are big, influential, and are capable of harassment and intimidation. But we must fight through. We will not be cowed by their threats because what we are fighting for is the future of our planet and the next generation.” ###
FOR INQUIRIES:
Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
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