Enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, threats – Filipino activists live dangerously. Felipe García*, director of a children's rights organization, reports how even young activists are pressured by the police and military.

“Standing up for your rights is dangerous. We call it red-tagging when the police or military accuse someone of being close to the Communist Party and the New People’s Army (NPA), its armed wing. Red-tagging makes the person fair game, because communists are considered enemies of the state. Angel*, a young woman from our network, was recently accused of this.”.

Angel is 20. She has been committed to environmental protection since elementary school. Today she is a university student and an important voice for climate justice. The reason for the attack against her is her commitment to protecting a river where sand and gravel are extracted. There are strict quotas for this extraction. If too much is extracted, the consequences are severe: spawning grounds are destroyed, and additional algal growth can disrupt the ecosystem. Flooding is a frequent occurrence. In river deltas, sand extraction erodes the natural coastal defenses. But very few adhere to the official limits. Extraction takes place around the clock.

Should Angel give in to the pressure?

Every ton of sand increases profits. The operations are supposed to be state-monitored. But politics and business are closely intertwined. In Angel's case, the mining company belongs to the provincial governor. The mayor is his son. Angel gave television interviews, informed the public on social media about the exceeded extraction quota, and reminded the regulatory authority of its obligations—until her university instructors accused her of being close to the Communist Party. Among them are former police officers and military personnel. They threatened her: If she didn't stop her activism, she wouldn't be allowed to continue her studies. The fact that she can only attend university thanks to a scholarship puts her under further pressure. How would you decide?

* The names have been changed for security reasons.

18.10.2023