Ataque a defensor de derechos humanos
Angelo Karlo Guillen National Union of People’s Lawyers-Panay
Fuentes
The Philippines’ COVID-19 lockdown has exacerbated threats to activists fighting for their lands and their environment, with least 10 land defenders swept up in a series of arrests by security forces during the two-month lockdown period. Another defender, who was providing relief aid, was shot and killed by unknown assailants. Jose Reynaldo “Jory” Porquia was gunned down by unidentified assailants on April 30. Porquia was a well-known community organizer in the province and the driving force behind the Madia-as Ecological Movement, the biggest environmental organization in the Panay region. Porquia campaigned against large-scale mining, coal power plants, and mega-dam projects in Iloilo and nearby Capiz province.
On May 1, Porquia’s daughter, Krisma Niña Porquia, and 41 other colleagues and friends were arrested while on their way to light candles and lay wreaths at the site of the murder. Among those arrested were Marco Sulayao, an activist priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and a known opponent of large-scale mining in the islands of Panay and Guimaras; and lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen of the National Union of People’s Lawyers-Panay, who led legal actions for the rehabilitation of Boracay Island. They have since been released on bail.