Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan

12/08/2026

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐜, 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬!

Today, one of the political prisoners at the Mountain Province District Jail in Bontoc, Mountain Province, Alladin Solang, was acquitted by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 35 of trumped-up charges filed by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2019.

Solang, a native of Sagada, Mountain Province, has been jailed in Bontoc since April 2024 due to fabricated charges of murder and frustrated murder – more than two years of being deprived of liberty based on charges he did not commit. Prior to this, he was also acquitted of trumped-up charges in a court in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur after spending about a year at the Ilocos Sur Provincial Jail.

Today’s court decision is another proof that the charges filed against Solang are baseless and fabricated. His acquittal, however, has not set him free since he is still awaiting the court’s decision on other trumped-up charges filed against him by the PNP. Solang is one of the 19 political prisoners currently detained in the different provinces of the Cordillera.

We call for the release of political prisoners and the immediate dismissal of charges that are baseless and unsupported by credible evidence. Political prisoners refer to people who were arrested or imprisoned because of their political beliefs, advocacy, or perceived political affiliations.

We also call for the speedy resolution of pending cases that have dragged on for years. Those who have been unjustly detained must be released immediately. Justice delayed is justice denied.

We further call for the immediate review of the cases of political detainees on humanitarian grounds, particularly those who are elderly and sick. We reiterate the Commission on Human Rights’ call for the release of persons deprived of liberty who have demonstrated good behavior and have met legal standards for executive clemency.

We call for justice, due process, accountability, speedy resolution of cases, and freedom for all unjustly detained political prisoners in the Cordillera and the Philippines.

Free all political prisoners!

Cordillera Peoples Alliance – Mountain Province
12 August 2026

12/08/2026

"𝗔𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗴𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮 𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗼𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱..."

KASAMA - LR has for years borne first-hand witness to the extreme lengths state personnel and powerful entities will go to impose greed over land ownership and silence community dissent.

Yesterday, August 11, marked the first anniversary since three of their most steadfast leaders, Miriam Villanueva, Anna Padilla, and Jojo Mercado, collectively referred to as the Lupang Ramos 3, were charged with trumped-up accusations of grave coercion and threats. These charges followed an incident where AFP soldiers intruded into their community in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, only to be met expectedly with counter-escalation and local resistance.

The farming locale has long been among the epicenters of multiple agrarian struggles in the province, all victims of the government’s decades-long failure to enact genuine land rights reforms. Productive lands tilled by generations of farming families are now being illegally sold to and claimed by private entities, including E.M. Ramos & Sons, Inc. (EMRASON), St. Francis Square Group of Companies (headed by Luke Roxas), and land-grabber Ayala Land, Inc. This corporate encroachment has triggered relentless surveillance, red-tagging, and disruptions by the local government and armed state personnel.

The charges filed against the community were initially aimed at 15 locals, including two minors. While the cases against the others were eventually junked, the Lupang Ramos 3 remain targets, underscoring the baseless and excessive nature of the repression they face as frontline defenders of their peasant community. Anna defies age limitations and stands as a senior citizen activist among them. Miriam remains among their most vocal, rightfully making her the spokesperson of the organization. Meanwhile, Jojo uses his youth and artistry to promote progressive culture among his generation and mobilize them in presenting their plight to the public.

Despite the legal harassment, their commitment has never wavered. They champion food sustainability through science-informed agroecology and organic farming while leading the fight for peasant and women's rights. This dedication is what paved their way to being recognized in 2024 when they were awarded in the Organization Category at the 8th Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan.




---

The Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan, co-organized by the Center for Environmental Concerns - Philippines, the IBON Foundation, and this year's cooperating organizations, are proud to bring to you the 9th Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan awards, paying tribute to those who refuse to surrender to inaction, greed, or social injustice.

Let us celebrate their valor. Let us stand and struggle. Let us rise with them.

12/08/2026

URGENT ALERT: Continued presence and harassment of armed PNP personnel against Kasibu People's Barricade

Last August 11, at 10:30 PM, members of local organizations forming the People's Barricade in Pacquet, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya reported the arrival of more than five members of the Philippine National Police, including the chief of the Kasibu Municipal Police Station. This marks the sixth consecutive day of regular patrolling by armed PNP forces around the community barricade.

This occurred shortly after local residents stationed at the barricade blocked three personnel from the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC) who attempted to enter the exploration site, claiming they were there to "collect their salaries." Within 15 minutes of the NLMRC personnel withdrawing, PNP forces arrived as escorts, positioning themselves less than five meters from the company's vehicle. Five additional PNP officers followed soon after.

The Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines (CEC) joins the residents of Nueva Vizcaya in asserting that there is no basis for police or military presence and patrols around the community barricade against mining. Blocking destructive, large-scale mining operations to defend land, livelihoods, and the environment is entirely legitimate and just. The continued presence of state forces in the area of the people's barricade is a baseless attempt to intimidate and instill fear in environmental defenders—a clear pattern of harassment seen against land and environmental defenders in the Philippines, which remains the most dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders.

We join the call of the People's Barricade in Nueva Vizcaya to put a stop to the continuing harassment and intimidation by state forces! Stop the attacks against environmental defenders!

12/08/2026

09/08/2026

[STATEMENT] Honoring Indigenous environmental heroes at the forefront of environmental protection

“If we lose our natural resources, we all die.” The late Lumad leader Bai Bibiaon Ligkayan Bigkay once reminded us of this truth: the survival of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and the fate of our planet are the same.

This August 9, on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan reaffirms our solidarity with our guardians of the earth. Even as they bear the heaviest burdens of ecological destruction, state-backed plunder, and violative militarization, they remain steadfast in defending our lands and our rights to them.

As the climate crisis continues to worsen due to corporate greed, Indigenous Peoples remain at the forefront of defending the land, rights, and the environment. As they actively and justly resist projects that displace and threaten their communities, they face severe human rights violations committed by corporations and the state—the very entity tasked with protecting them. Data from Global Witness [1] shows that the Philippines consistently ranks as the deadliest country in Asia for land and environmental defenders, with Indigenous Peoples accounting for over 40% of all recorded killings despite comprising only about 10% to 15% of the national population.

Read our full statement: https://gbk.cecphils.org/iwipd-statement-2026/

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

Get yours!

Hello birders! The latest issue of eBON is out! Check it out here: https://birdwatch.ph/ebon/
The January–June 2026 issue of eBON – The Official Newsletter of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines is finally available and is packed with inspiring stories, exciting discoveries, and highlights from our birding community.

Inside this issue:
Birdwatching in Brazil: A Dream I Do Not Want to Wake Up From by Michael C Lu
Little Curlew Discovery by Bayani Thaddeus Barcenas
Makiling Birders: A Campus-Grown Community for Conservation from the Makiling Birders thru Carmel Eje
Birding in the Blue: Apo Reef Biodiversity Camp 2026 by Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap
2026 Asian Waterbird Census by Cristina R. Cinco
WBCP Roundup of Club Activities collated by Mike Lu
BONUS: WBCP General Assembly 2026 Photo Essay by Donna M. Lacuna
Please feel free to share the issue with your family and friends!
Happy birding to all!