[STATEMENT] Honoring environmental heroes, continuing their fight and legacy

Today, August 25, National Heroes’ Day, the Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (GBK) honors and celebrates environmental defenders in the Philippines for their undying courage and passion in protecting the environment and the rights of the people. 

We pay tribute not only to the heroes chronicled in our history books but also to ordinary people, communities, and organizations standing against the exploitation and destruction of our environment. In safeguarding our forests, rivers, lands, and seas—our natural patrimony, source of life, and cultural heritage—they defend not only the environment but also the rights of the people.

The Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (GBK) [1] is a biennial awards event and lecture series that honors Filipino heroes who valiantly defend both the environment and people’s rights. At the 8th GBK Awards Ceremony held [2] on October 12, 2024, at the University of the Philippines Diliman, several individuals and organizations were honored for their environmental contributions. Atty. Antonio Gabriel “Tony” M. La Viña and AKAP KA-Manila Bay were the Natatanging Gawad Awardees. Organizational Awardees included the Katipunan ng mga Lehitimong Magsasaka at Mamamayan sa Lupang Ramos (KASAMA-LR), Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment (PPSE), and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines. 

Individual awardees were Atty. Grizelda “Gerthie” Mayo-Anda, who helped establish the People’s Monitoring Team to hold mining companies accountable and challenged Japanese-backed corporations engaged in reckless extraction of natural resources; Dr. Charito “Chito” Medina, an agroecologist advocating for food security through people-led farming; and Tatay Nestor Rotaquio, a farmer and fisherfolk leader who defended indigenous lands from privatization. 

These awardees represent the courage, resilience, and diversity of today’s heroes, which include farmers, indigenous communities, scientists, birdwatchers, lawyers, and fisherfolk—all united in defense of nature and justice.

In a country with a repressive government that often conspires with corporations and corrupt government officials, heroism often comes at a high price. Among the past recipients of GBK are Chad Booc [3], a volunteer teacher and anti-mining advocate who was murdered by the military (recognized posthumously by GBK), and Dr. Gerry Ortega [4], an environmental journalist and anti-mining campaigner who was assassinated for speaking truth to power. 

These tragic deaths highlight the grim reality that the Philippines remains the most dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders, as backed by data from Global Witness [5]. From 2012 to 2023, at least 468 land and environmental defenders were murdered in Asia, with 64% (298) of these killings occurring in the Philippines. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s [6] report adds a darker layer to this, with over 6,400 attacks on human rights defenders from 2015 to 2024. Three out of four incidents target climate and environmental defenders, indicating nearly two attacks per day. This trend highlights increasing violence, judicial harassment, and killings, particularly in mining, with over 1,600 reported attacks such as red-tagging, harassment, and killings often by state forces. 

The recent killing of Juan Sumilhig, a Maranao farmer and former political prisoner from Occidental Mindoro [7], reflects the rampant violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights in the country. A reality far from what President Marcos Jr. claimed in his SONA 2025, wherein he proudly flaunted that the country honors the IHL.  

As an award-giving body that has honored environmental heroes for more than a decade, GBK strongly reiterates that environmentalism is not terrorism. 

Our environmental defenders must not be criminalized or punished. Instead, they must be honored, protected, and elevated as national heroes.

We call on the government to deliver justice for slain defenders like Chad Booc and Dr. Gerry Ortega, and for living defenders under threat like Indigenous peoples who, despite oppression, displacement, and harassment, continue to defend their land and the environment.

The GBK also calls for the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC. These institutions are known for their excessive red-tagging of our advocates and for suppressing dissent. We must uphold international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights. It is essential to recognize environmental defenders as heroes of our time, rather than viewing them as enemies of the state.

Lastly, we urge all Filipinos to remember and honor the sacrifices of our environmental defenders. National Heroes Day should serve as a commitment to solidarity: to stand with our defenders, resist greed and brutality, and continue the collective struggle for justice, dignity, and the environment we all share. 

Resources:

1. Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines. (n.d.). Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan. https://gbk.cecphils.org/
   
2. Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan. (2024, October 15). ATTY. TONY LA VIÑA AND AKAP-KA MANILA BAY HONORED AS NATATANGING GAWAD AWARDEES AT THE 8TH GAWAD BAYANI NG KALIKASAN. Manila Standard. https://manilastandard.net/community-spotlight/314510774/environmental-heroes-win-prestigious-honors.html
   
3. Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines. (2024, February 25). Remembering Chad Booc: Inspirational environmental hero and human rights defender. https://www.cecphils.org/remembering-chad-booc-inspirational-environmental-hero-and-human-rights-defender/
   
4. Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines. (2018, January 24). Remembering Dr. Gerry Ortega’s life and legacy: Defend environmental defenders and end impunity now!. https://www.cecphils.org/remembering-dr-gerry-ortegas-life-and-legacy-defend-environmental-defenders-and-end-impunity-now/
   
5. Global Witness. (2024, September 10). Missing voices: The violent erasure of land and environmental defenders. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/missing-voices/
   
6. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. (2025, May). Defending rights and realising just economies: Human rights defenders and business 2015–2024. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/human-rights-defenders-and-business-10-year-analysis/defending-rights-and-realising-just-economies-human-rights-defenders-and-business-2015-2024/
   
7. ICHRP. (2025, August 7). Murder of farmer, Juan Sumilhig, marks worsening IHL violations in Mindoro. ICHRP. https://ichrp.net/murder-of-farmer-juan-sumilhig-marks-worsening-ihl-violations-in-mindoro/