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MANILA — A month after his abduction, surfaced environment defender Francisco “Eco” Dangla III detailed his harrowing experience at the Commission on Human Rights, on April 26.
Dangla and fellow activist Axielle “Jak” Tiong were mauled into a van by armed men on March 24 in barangay Polo, San Carlos, Pangasinan. Later on, the two activists would be found on March 28, after more than 600 individuals and international and local organizations campaigned for their immediate release.
Their abductors are still at large, prompting the activists to seek sanctuary.
Dangla believes that their abductors are state agents, due to the build up of harassment incidents prior to the abduction.
In fact, Dangla had been tagged as a “terrorist” and “threat” by State forces. This is according to the 2019 presentation of the Regional Peace and Order Council of Region 1.
“Since 2014, I have been a victim of several forms of harassment, intimidation, vilification, and threat in different chapters of my service to the people and the environment,” he said in Filipino.
The harrowing ordeal
Dangla said that on the day of the abduction, the unidentified men pointed their guns at them, pushing them to submission.
“When we arrived at a place, which looked like a safe house, they said that our lives were at their hands. We cannot do anything. They threatened to kill us,” Eco recalled.
He also added that the abductors threatened to burn and bulldoze them. “They released a cobra. We also heard a sound similar to the bulldozer. They said that they would burn us, that they would put us under the wheels of the bulldozer. Later on, I would smell burning plastic and wheels,” Eco said in Filipino.
There were moments when both Dangla and Tiong felt hopeless in the three days of distress. Dangla said, “I told myself, maybe it’s time. Maybe they would kill us now. But until the end, I still tried to explain our environmental initiatives, until they got angry at us.”
“They tried to give us an ultimatum. They do not want to hear our explanation about the environment. Instead, they asked us about people, about names we do not know, because they wanted to connect us to CPP-NPA,” he said.
It also came to the point that the abductors also threatened their families. “We experienced an unimaginable intimidation and threat to my life through physical and psychological torture. Worse, they threatened the lives of our loved ones, and my family,” he said.
Dangla said that prior to their abduction, he and Tiong suffered from multiple cases of red-tagging and harassment, stemming from their advocacy work. They are both convenors of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for Environment (PPSE), a local grassroots network of environmental advocates.
Overwhelming support and solidarity
The environment activists were released before the sunrise of March 28. They were blindfolded prior to their release so they were not able to identify the trail of place. Dangla even thought that the abductors would dispose of them during that time.
“When we were surfaced, I saw the overwhelming support of environment groups, churches, and individuals. From there, I felt that despite the strength of our enemy, if we fight in unison, we can achieve victories,” Dangla said.
He expressed his deepest gratitude to all the organizations and individuals who campaigned for their release. Barangay Polo residents also provided support to their parents.
“Without the quick response and campaign of various groups and sectors, including the church in the national and international scope, maybe our abductors would not release us,” he said.
Speaking at the same press conference, Jonila Castro, another surfaced environmental activist who has been fighting against the reclamation projects in Manila Bay, expressed support.to Dangla.
Castro and her fellow activist Jhed Tamano, were abducted on September 4, 2023. Weeks later, they were presented as fake surrenderees by the NTF-ELCAC, only for the two activists to expose the violence they suffered.
She also highlighted that instead of committing or being oblivious to the rampant human rights violations, the government should address the problems caused by climate change such as El Niño.
Castro is now the advocacy officer for water and reclamation of the Kalikasan People’s Network for Environment (PNE). She echoed Dangla’s sentiments that the abductions are used to silence environmental defenders and activists opposing destructive projects.
“These abductions are part of a larger pattern of natural resource plunder by foreign corporations, often with government and military support. Activists opposing these projects and defending local community rights are viewed as obstacles to profit-making and are therefore the target for intimidation, harassment, and violence,” she said.
Continuing the fight against destructive environmental projects
As convenors of the PPSE, Dangla said that they are at the forefront of opposing destructive mining projects.
Among these projects is the 10,000 hectares of black sand off-shore mining in the Lingayen Gulf. This will cover the towns of Sual, Labrador, Lingayen, Binmaley, and Dagupan, which seek to extract 25 million of magnetite sand yearly for 25 years.
According the government data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), around 28,000 fisherfolk are dependent on the gulf for their livelihood. The project could also affect the biodiversity and ecosystems in the area, according to a BFAR aquaculturist.
In addition to this, Executive Order 130 (EO 130) by former President Rodrigo Duterte, which sought to lift the moratorium on mineral agreements, prompt the surge of applications.
“Around 84,000 hectares of lands are at stake due to the Executive Order,” Dangla said.
They are also opposing the plan of the local government to build six nuclear power plants. In 2023, PPSE reported that the LGU is encouraging community members to sign a statement of community acceptance for the projects.
Despite the harrowing violence that they experienced, Dangla vows to continue the fight. “My plan is to continue and maybe we will still plan how we move seamlessly, but my will is firm to continue the fight.”
According to the human rights group Karapatan Central Luzon, the number of surfaced activists is five (5), but there 14 defenders still missing. Three of them are from Central Luzon: Steve Abua, Diodicto Minzo, and Joey Torres.
full article: https://www.bulatlat.com/2024/04/26/despite-suffering-torture-environmental-defenders-continue-fight-against-destructive-projects/
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