Philippines

The Philippines has been consistently named as one of the worst places in Asia for attacks against defenders. Under President Duterte it has become even deadlier, with the numbers murdered rising dramatically since he took office - almost double the figure for the three years prior to his election. High impunity rates and the relentless vilification of human rights advocates by the government are some of the reasons for the increase.

In our 2019 report, Defending the Philippines, we documented how land and environmental defenders – from indigenous communities to forest enforcers – came under attack after opposing local projects. We have continued to advocate for businesses and financiers to look at their supply chains and operations, including pushing some of the some of the world’s biggest and best-known fruit producing brands and influential finance institutions named in our report, to review and strengthen their policies and commitments to defenders.