SURFACE ECO AND JAK! STOP THE ATTACKS ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE DEFENDERS!
The Malaya Movement USA strongly denounces the abduction and forced disappearance of activists Eco Dangla III and Jak Tiong in Pangasinan on March 24. Karapatan Central Luzon, a human rights group investigating the incident, notes that Eco and Jak’s disappearances account for the 7th and 8th in the region.
Eco and Jak are staunch environmental justice advocates and convenors of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment. In the region, Eco and Jak have been vocal opponents of destructive coal-fired power plants and offshore mining. They have been active in the fight against the revival of the failed Marcos Sr. era Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the proposed building of untested and costly small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
Since assuming office, Marcos Jr. has struck deals with US-based companies like NuScale and UltraSafe Nuclear Corporation that would supposedly modernize the country’s “renewable energy” infrastructure. Marcos Jr. signed the Section 123 Nuclear Agreement with the US government to enable export and storage of nuclear materials and equipment in the Philippines, forcing the Philippines into nuclear cooperation. While “energy” is their stated purpose, it is important to recognize that any form of nuclear technology has the potential to facilitate the development and deployment of nuclear weapons. These are anti-people and disastrous deals that will cause further environmental degradation and destruction and contribute to the increasing military tensions in the West Philippine Sea as the US shores up its military presence in the volatile territory.
It is not surprising then that Eco and Jak would be the subjects of vilification and terror-tagging for their efforts to defend the environment and their communities. It is eerily similar to the case of youth environmental justice activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro who were kidnapped, held under duress, and told to lie about their abduction by the Armed Forces of the Philippines last year. During an AFP press conference, Jhed and Jonila bravely went off-script and exposed the abduction and other fascist counterinsurgency tactics they were subject to by the Marcos Jr. regime. We hold the view that Eco and Jak’s disappearance is no coincidence but a targeted attack, sanctioned by the state to silence its critics.
We urge all members of the Malaya Movement USA, partner organizations, and advocates for justice to speak out and demand the immediate release of Eco and Jak! Surface Eco and Jak!
Defend environmental justice defenders!
Hold the Marcos Jr. regime accountable for continued attacks against activists like Eco and Jak!
