December
19, 2018
International environmental award to Rene Pamplona, Mindanawan human rights
defender
Quezon City - Alyansa Tigil Mina
(ATM) excitedly welcomes the news today that an international award was given
to one its leading human rights defenders from Mindanao.
Mr.
Rene Pamplona, Campaign-Advocacy Officer of the Convergence of Initiatives for
Environmental Justice, Inc. (CIEJ) received the Alexander Soros Foundation
Award for Environmental and Human Rights Activism for 2018. The award was
announced by the foundation today.
Pamplona
has been coordinating the campaign in South Cotabato against the “Unholy
Trinity” of projects, which includes the Tampakan Mining Project, the CONAL
coal-fired power plant in Sarangani and coal-mining projects in Lake Sebu,
South Cotabato.
The
coal mining projects will supply the coal for the CONAL coal-fired power plant
which in turn will fuel the energy needs of the Tampakan mining project.
The Tampakan mining project straddles the four provinces of South Cotabato,
Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and Davao del Sur in Mindanao.
Our
alliance believes that Pamplona deserves this recognition for his roles in
organizing and educating the affected-communities on the serious negative
impacts of these projects to their lives and livelihoods. Equally
important, these projects will bring permanent land-use changes and destroy the
ecological balance of several watersheds, primary forests and ancestral domains
of indigenous peoples or lumads.
Pamplona
has also worked tirelessly for more three decades with Church-based groups and
national environmental organizations to assist communities in protecting their
food, land, water and biodiversity resources. We laud this dedication and
passion to his mission.
As a
human rights defender, ATM salutes Pamplona on his generous service to the
people. And this award comes in a very timely manner, as environmental
activists join the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the UN
Declaration on Human Rights last Dec. 10, 2018.
Our
alliance recognizes that this award will increase Pamplona’s security risks, as
he has suffered and continues to face numerous threats and harassments while
performing his work. We demand that the Philippine government ensure that
the safety and well-being of Pamplona and all his co-workers as well as
community partners, are ensured.
Together
with Rene Pamplona, ATM stands in solidarity with all mining-affected
communities who continue to struggle and resist destructive and irresponsible
mining.
Jaybee Garganera
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