31/07/2025
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𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗥𝗨𝗗𝗢𝗟𝗣𝗛 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗨𝗭 𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗢 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗭𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗕𝗔𝗬, 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦
On July 27, 2025, in Barangay Puntalinao, Banaybanay, two devoted environmental defenders Sir Rudolph Delacruz Espe and Mr. Rico Gonzaga Malubay were mercilessly gunned down.
We knew Rudolph. He was more than a protector of the environment. He was a principled voice for peace and justice. As a community leader, he stood with nature and the people who depend on it. He fiercely opposed mining projects and policies that threatened biodiversity and the rights of Indigenous and rural communities. He exposed government corruption and fought against the collusion between public officials and destructive corporate interests.
His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is part of a disturbing pattern of violence against environmental defenders in the Philippines, one of the deadliest countries in the world for those who defend land, water, and life. This violence thrives in an environment of impunity, corporate greed, corruption, and state neglect.
Today, we grieve and cry out for Justice!
We call for justice for Rudolph and Rico, whose blood has stained our soil to defend the people’s welfare and environment.
We call on the Philippine National Police for a full, impartial, and transparent investigation into the killings and for the perpetrators to be held accountable under the law.
We call on the Commission on Human Rights to act immediately and help uncover the reasons for the brutal deaths of our environmental defenders.
We will not let this heinous crime be forgotten, nor buried in silence. Their voices live on through us, carrying forward their dream of justice for the people and the planet.