By Mitzi Jonelle Tan
Across the world the threats to land and environmental defenders are rising. My country, the Philippines, is one of the most dangerous countries for environmental defenders and activists. The past six years under President Rodrigo Duterte have seen the highest number of killings of defenders since the dictator Ferdinand Marcos first came to power in 1965.
Alfred Rapin or “Ka Fred” is a farmer and land defender based in Cagayan Valley who joined Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or KMP (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) in 2013. The peasant and land rights movement is one of the strongest and widest movements in our country and their fight for land sovereignty is such a crucial one.
To be a climate justice activist, it’s important to listen to and learn from people like Ka Fred. We need to strongly align our calls, campaigns, and demands with those on the frontlines of land defence. Over the years, Ka Fred has witnessed growing hostility and tells me how the labelling of peasants as terrorists by state forces became more rampant in 2017 – Duterte’s first year in power.
It was this same year, after spending some time with farmers and Indigenous peoples with a similar story to Ka Fred, that I first started to see and realise the social realities of life in the Philippines for environmental activists. Landlessness has made our peasants suffer and hundreds were being killed in defence of our land and our planet. I knew then that I had no choice. I had to join the fight.
By Mitzi Jonelle Tan