Legarda: Protecting the environment means protecting those who defend it

Senator Loren Legarda called for stronger measures to prevent attacks against land and environmental defenders and address the land and resource conflicts that place communities at risk, after Global Witness documented 12 killings in the Philippines in 2025, the highest number recorded outside Latin America that year.

Legarda said the issue should not be seen as concerning environmental activists alone. Those placed at risk can be farmers defending the land they cultivate, Indigenous communities protecting ancestral domains, or residents raising concerns about projects that may affect their water, livelihood, forests, and communities.

“Kapag sinabing environmental defender, hindi ito malayong konsepto sa pang-araw-araw na buhay. Maaaring ito ang magsasakang ipinaglalaban ang lupang sinasaka, katutubong komunidad na nangangalaga sa ancestral domain, o residenteng nag-aalala kung maaapektuhan ba ang tubig at kabuhayan ng komunidad. No one should have to risk their life simply for raising these concerns,” Legarda said.

The findings were released by Global Witness on September 16, 2026 in its report “Collective Power: The Struggle for Protection for Land and Environmental Defenders”. Global Witness reported that at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed worldwide in 2025, bringing to 2,375 the killings and long-term disappearances it has documented since it began its annual reporting in 2012.

The organization has described the Philippines as the deadliest country in Asia for people protecting land and the environment since 2012. Its latest report points to the conflicts behind many of these attacks. Globally, land disputes were linked to more than half of the killings documented in 2025, while mining was the deadliest identified sector, with 11 related killings, four of them in the Philippines.

“Hindi dapat ituring na kalaban ng kaunlaran ang mga taong nagtatanong kung mawawala ba ang sakahan, maaapektuhan ba ang ilog, o mapoprotektahan ba ang lupaing minana nila sa kanilang mga ninuno. Communities have the right to be heard when decisions can permanently affect the places where they live and the resources they depend on,” Legarda said.

She stressed that protecting environmental defenders requires both accountability when attacks occur and prevention before disputes turn violent.

“Kapag may banta o karahasan, dapat may agarang imbestigasyon at pananagutan. But protection must also begin much earlier by respecting land and resource rights, involving affected communities in decisions, and identifying environmental and social risks before projects are approved,” she said.

Legarda has pursued measures addressing these underlying issues. One of the measures Legarda has filed toward this end is Senate Bill No. 311, or the proposed Indigenous Community Conserved Territories and Areas Act, which seeks to recognize the community-conserved territories and areas of Indigenous Peoples and cultural communities and establish a national framework for their recognition and protection.

This approach is also reflected in the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, or Republic Act No. 11038, which Legarda principally authored and co-sponsored. The law strengthened the protection and management of ecologically important areas and provided a stronger legal framework for conserving the country’s biodiversity.

Legarda is also pushing for Senate Bill No. 1251, or the proposed Philippine Environmental Assessment System Act, which seeks to establish a comprehensive system for evaluating the environmental consequences of policies, programs, plans, and projects and to create a National Environmental Protection Agency.

For Legarda, environmental assessment should prevent communities from discovering the consequences of a project only after damage has already occurred.

“Hindi dapat saka lamang kikilos kapag marumi na ang tubig, nawala na ang kabuhayan, o nasira na ang lugar na kanilang pinanggagalingan ng pagkain at kita. Environmental assessment must identify those risks early, and the people who will live with the consequences must be heard,” Legarda said.

Legarda stressed that the country’s record cited by Global Witness shows why environmental protection must include both strong laws and real protection for the people who defend natural resources on the ground.

“Environmental protection depends on whether people can speak up when their land, water, forests, or livelihoods are threatened without putting their lives at risk. A farmer, an Indigenous leader, or any member of a community should be able to raise legitimate concerns and expect government to respond before those concerns escalate into violence or irreversible harm,” Legarda concluded. (30)

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Legarda nanawagan ng mas matibay na proteksyon sa mga tagapagtanggol ng lupa at kalikasan

Nanawagan si Senador Loren Legarda ng mas matibay na proteksyon para sa mga taong nagtatanggol sa lupa, likas-yaman, at kapakanan ng kanilang mga komunidad, matapos maitala ng Global Witness ang 12 pagpatay sa mga land and environmental defenders sa Pilipinas noong 2025.

Ito ang pinakamataas na bilang na naitala sa labas ng Latin America sa naturang taon.

Ayon kay Legarda, hindi dapat tingnan ang usapin bilang problema lamang ng mga environmental activist. Kabilang sa mga nalalagay sa panganib ang mga magsasakang ipinaglalaban ang lupang kanilang sinasaka, mga katutubong komunidad na nangangalaga sa kanilang ancestral domain, at mga residenteng nagpapahayag ng pangamba sa mga proyektong maaaring makaapekto sa kanilang tubig, kabuhayan, kagubatan, at komunidad.

“Kapag sinabing environmental defender, hindi ito malayong konsepto sa pang-araw-araw na buhay. Maaaring ito ang magsasakang ipinaglalaban ang lupang sinasaka, katutubong komunidad na nangangalaga sa ancestral domain, o residenteng nag-aalala kung maaapektuhan ba ang tubig at kabuhayan ng komunidad. No one should have to risk their life simply for raising these concerns,” pahayag ni Legarda.

Inilabas ng Global Witness noong Setyembre 16, 2026 ang ulat nitong “Collective Power: The Struggle for Protection for Land and Environmental Defenders.”

Ayon sa ulat, hindi bababa sa 124 na land and environmental defenders ang napatay sa buong mundo noong 2025. Umabot na rin sa 2,375 ang mga pagpatay at pangmatagalang pagkawala na naitala ng organisasyon mula nang simulan nito ang taunang monitoring noong 2012.

Tinukoy rin ng Global Witness ang Pilipinas bilang pinakamapanganib na bansa sa Asya para sa mga taong nagtatanggol sa lupa at kalikasan mula pa noong 2012.

Lumabas din sa pinakahuling ulat na malaking bahagi ng mga pag-atake ay may kaugnayan sa mga alitan sa lupa at likas-yaman. Sa buong mundo, mahigit kalahati ng mga pagpatay na naitala noong 2025 ay iniugnay sa land disputes. Samantala, pagmimina ang pinakanakamamatay na sektor na natukoy sa ulat, na may 11 kaugnay na pagpatay, apat dito ay sa Pilipinas.

“Hindi dapat ituring na kalaban ng kaunlaran ang mga taong nagtatanong kung mawawala ba ang sakahan, maaapektuhan ba ang ilog, o mapoprotektahan ba ang lupaing minana nila sa kanilang mga ninuno. Communities have the right to be heard when decisions can permanently affect the places where they live and the resources they depend on,” diin ni Legarda.

Binigyang-diin ng senador na hindi sapat na kumilos lamang kapag may naganap nang pag-atake. Aniya, kailangang maagapan ang mga alitang maaaring mauwi sa karahasan sa pamamagitan ng paggalang sa karapatan sa lupa at likas-yaman at maagang pakikinig sa mga komunidad na maaapektuhan.

“Kapag may banta o karahasan, dapat may agarang imbestigasyon at pananagutan. But protection must also begin much earlier by respecting land and resource rights, involving affected communities in decisions, and identifying environmental and social risks before projects are approved,” aniya.

Kabilang sa mga panukalang isinusulong ni Legarda upang tugunan ang mga ugat ng ganitong mga sigalot ang Senate Bill No. 311, o ang panukalang Indigenous Community Conserved Territories and Areas Act.

Layunin nitong kilalanin ang mga teritoryo at lugar na pinangangalagaan ng Indigenous Peoples at cultural communities at maglatag ng pambansang balangkas para sa kanilang pagkilala at proteksyon.

Makikita rin ang ganitong prinsipyo sa Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018 o Republic Act No. 11038, kung saan si Legarda ang principal author at co-sponsor.

Pinalakas ng batas ang pangangalaga at pamamahala sa mahahalagang protected areas at nagbigay ng mas matibay na legal na balangkas para sa konserbasyon ng biodiversity ng bansa.

Isinusulong din ni Legarda ang Senate Bill No. 1251, o ang panukalang Philippine Environmental Assessment System Act, na naglalayong magtatag ng komprehensibong sistema sa pagsusuri ng posibleng epekto sa kapaligiran ng mga polisiya, programa, plano, at proyekto, gayundin ang pagtatatag ng isang National Environmental Protection Agency.

Para kay Legarda, mahalagang matukoy ang mga panganib bago pa umabot sa puntong ang mga komunidad na mismo ang makararanas ng pinsala.

“Hindi dapat saka lamang kikilos kapag marumi na ang tubig, nawala na ang kabuhayan, o nasira na ang lugar na kanilang pinanggagalingan ng pagkain at kita. Environmental assessment must identify those risks early, and the people who will live with the consequences must be heard,” pahayag niya.

Aniya, ipinakikita ng datos ng Global Witness na hindi maaaring ihiwalay ang pangangalaga sa kalikasan sa pagprotekta sa mga taong mismong nagsasalita at kumikilos para rito sa kanilang mga komunidad.

“Environmental protection depends on whether people can speak up when their land, water, forests, or livelihoods are threatened without putting their lives at risk. A farmer, an Indigenous leader, or any member of a community should be able to raise legitimate concerns and expect government to respond before those concerns escalate into violence or irreversible harm,” pagtatapos ni Legarda.