A pro-environment group in Manila expressed opposition against the candidates for the upcoming senatorial race, citing accounts of red-tagging activists and endorsing environmentally damaging projects.
The Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (PNE) accused senatorial candidates Lorraine Badoy, Jeffrey Celiz, Marlon Bozantog of Epanaw Sambayanan Partylist, and Allen Capuyan of having a “notorious history of endangering indigenous people and environmental defenders.”
The group said these individuals played key roles in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), actions that KPNE claimed have jeopardized the safety and rights of activists.
Former NTF-ELCAC spokespersons Badoy and Celiz faced a gag order in 2021 for red-tagging community pantry organizers. Meanwhile, the group accused Bozantog, the current NTF-ELCAC spokesperson for legal affairs, of falsifying community resolutions for the Gened Dam project without consent from the indigenous populations involved.
“Injustice, trumped-up charges, and even deaths have been the result of their red-tagging during their time as talking heads of NTF-ELCAC. We cannot allow these greedy and deceitful individuals to be re-elected into office,” Eco Dangla, lead convenor of the Environmental Defenders Congress.
Kalikasan PNE also voiced concerns over Lani Mercado-Revilla, who supports the controversial 420-hectare reclamation project in Cavite that poses a threat to local communities.
“We do not need candidates who destroy our nature and the livelihoods of fishermen in Manila Bay. This planned reclamation will displace over 700 families in Bacoor, Noveleta, Rosario, and Kawit. We must oppose those who push forward such projects that cause suffering to hundreds of fishermen,” said Jonila Castro, advocacy officer for AKAP KA Manila Bay and Kalikasan PNE.
Both Castro and Dangla urged the electorate to exercise vigilance and discernment in the 2025 elections. They said these senatorial candidates “pose a serious threat to our communities and environment”.
“Their history of red-tagging and undermining Indigenous rights shows a blatant disregard for justice and environmental stewardship,” said Castro.
