THE government does not support violence and intimidation against environmental defenders in the country, Malacañang said Saturday.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said concerned government agencies would ensure that environmental activists, including the indigenous Lumad people of Mindanao, are protected.
"The Philippines has been declared as among the deadliest countries in the world for environmental defenders for four straight years. Mining-related killings accounted for the plurality of these cases, with indigenous Lumad people as among the hardest hit, according to the report," Abella said.
"We do not condone such violence and intimidation," he added.
Abella was citing a report by London-based nongovernment organization Global Witness, which was titled "Defenders of the Earth" and released Thursday.
The watchdog group branded 2016 as the "deadliest year on record" because the number of green advocates killed that year was both "growing and spreading" worldwide, with 200 murdered in 24 countries, higher than 185 slain in 16 countries in 2015.
Global Witness said around 200 individuals protecting the environment were slain because of "intensifying fight" for land and natural resources with mining, logging, hydroelectric and agricultural firms.
The Philippines was ranked third among the deadliest countries for environmental defenders, with at least 28 murders recorded in 2016. The number of green activists killed in the Philippines was lower compared to Brazil's and Colombia's with 49 and 37, respectively.
Most of the killings were linked to mining, coal and extractive industries. Half of those killed were indigenous people.
"The Philippines is consistently one of the deadliest places to defend the environment, with 28 killings in 2016; most linked to struggles against mining," the watchdog group said. "A voracious mining industry makes the Philippines stand out for killings in Asia."
Abella said the government established the Indigenous Peoples Inter-Agency Task Force "to ensure that indigenous peoples are not subjected to undue pressure and influence from unscrupulous businessmen intending to extract natural resources from their ancestral lands."
He said the task force was composed of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); its corporate arm, the Natural Resources Development Corporation; and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte promised to address the deadlock on the mining industry, once the government is able to regain control in conflict-torn Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
"I will Institute reforms after all my troubles in Marawi City. I have to solve the mining impasse. Mining impasse, I'm warning the rich because [former DENR chief] Gina [Lopez] was right that it's really destructive," Duterte said. (VoxPop Philippines)
