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Environmental killings at all-time high; Philippines a global hotspot
ENVIRONMENTAL activists are being killed in record numbers around the world, with the Philippines one of the most dangerous countries, according to watchdog Global Witness.
At least 200 community activists, nongovernmental organisation workers and other civilians on the frontlines of protecting the environment were reported murdered worldwide last year, the highest on record, the group said.
In the Philippines, an environmental activist was recorded to have been killed at a rate of every 12 days last year, with only Brazil and Colombia having more murders.
As in other hotspot nations, the deaths in the Philippines are rising as communities stand up against corrupt politicians and businessmen intent on securing increasingly scarce natural resources.
“Voracious industries such as mining, agribusiness and logging are trampling over people’s rights to take part in decisions that affect their land and environment,” Billy Kyte, Global Witness environmental and land defenders campaign leader, said.
Father-of-five Ruben Arzaga was one of the most recent land defenders murdered in the Philippines when he was shot in the head in September as he tried to approach illegal loggers on Palawan island, a popular tourist destination.
Arzaga belonged to the Palawan NGO Network Inc, a non-profit group made up of socalled para-enforcers that uses a citizen’s arrest law to confiscate equipment that is being used to destroy the island’s environment.
Arzaga was the 12th member of the group murdered since 2001.