MANILA – Peoples Rising for Climate Justice (PRJC) denounced the intimidation by alleged elements linked to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as they kicked off day one of the international solidarity mission on Saturday, Oct. 11.  

Dubbed as Grounding Solidarity: A Learning and Solidarity Mission to Communities Affected by Climate Injustice and Militarism, the mission aims to build solidarity with communities affected by climate threats exacerbated by environmental plunder, corruption, and militarization. 

The mission consists of international and local delegates from different parts of the globe and spans across the regions of Southern Tagalog, Eastern and Western Visayas. 

In a statement, PRCJ said delegates in Mindoro reported harassment at their campsite while Leyte and Manila mission legs reported surveillance by covert agents in their respective lodgings. 

PRCJ said reports reaching them indicate that covert agents surveilled delegates’ lodgings and photographed participants without consent. 

In  sitio Kapehan, barangay San Vicente, Occidental Mindoro, barangay officials arrived at the campsite demanding a mayor’s permit and a complete list of all delegates, insisting that the previously submitted courtesy letter was “not official.” Local officials threatened to declare participants persona non grata if they failed to comply.

The PRCJ asserted that under existing laws, no barangay or mayor’s permit is legally required to hold activities on private premises. “There is no law that compels disclosure of the names of participants or delegates, especially in advocacy, humanitarian, or mission-related activities. This includes foreign delegates, whose entry and presence are governed by immigration law,” the group said in a statement. 

The group said that the team has secured permission from the property owner and is exercising their right to free assembly. However, the barangay officials continue to insist on its own clearance. 

Despite these threats, the PRCJ said the mission’s presence in these areas proved a decisive win. “The need for solidarity for affected communities by twin evils of climate injustice and militarism underscores the need to protect the environment and its defenders,” the group said in a statement. 

As of this writing, the PRCJ also received reports that mission delegates in Tanay, Rizal were approached by members of the 80th Infantry Battalion. They were accompanied by a barangay official and requested the identification of each delegate. The team negotiating with the state forces declined to provide their identification cards, citing violations of the Data Privacy Act, but agreed to give the names of the delegates instead.

The Grounding Solidarity is a pre-conference initiative of the Asia Pacific People’s Conference Against Climate Imperialism and Militarism, they brought together researchers, academics, journalists, environmentalists, and human rights advocates to visit communities on the frontlines of climate and militarist injustice. The Asia Pacific People’s Conference Against Climate Imperialism and Militarism will take place on Oct. 16 and 17. (RVO)