♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] [ Chirping continues ] [ Birds chirping ] [ Insect buzzing ] -Psst.
[ Conversing in native language ] -[ Speaking native language ] -[ Clicks tongue ] [ Twig snaps ] -[ Whispering in native language ] [ Saw whirring ] [ Conversing in native language ] [ Whirring continues ] [ Saw whirring ] -[ Whispering in native language ] -Psst.
[ Creaking ] [ Crash ] [ Saw whirring in distance ] [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ -Psst!
Psst!
[ Speaking native language ] [ Twigs snapping ] ♪♪ [ Whispering in native language ] ♪♪ [ Whispering in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Psst.
♪♪ ♪♪ [ Tapping ] Don't panic.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sizzling ] ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language, laughter ] -Oh.
Chicken.
[ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ The reason why we created para-enforcers -- It's to create a deterrent against illegal logging and illegal fishing in the province.
Because 10 years ago, there was absolutely no fear by the violators to log or to fish illegally.
♪♪ People see it as a really nice tourist destination, but they don't see that inside it's eating itself up.
Now there's a frenzy of influx of people -- investors, tourists, businessmen -- to bring their commercial enterprise into the province.
[ Saw whirring in distance ] ♪♪ We need Third World solutions to Third World problems.
So we decided, "Let's try to put our efforts on environmental enforcement."
-[ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ -I caught my first chainsaw, and then being a neophyte, I surrendered it to the authorities.
And then after three months, I caught it again.
[ Conversing in native language ] Before, all they had to do was pay a bribe, and they'd get the chainsaw back.
So I decided that's the last time I will surrender a chainsaw to the authorities in this province.
I'm an excellent lawyer, so I know -- especially environmental law.
-[ Speaking native language ] -I wouldn't say that we work outside of the law.
I think we work within the law.
That's why we're revolving the concept of citizen's arrest.
[ Saw whirring ] ♪♪ ♪♪ It's not totally illegal, but it's meta-legal.
It's somewhat legal.
♪♪ ♪♪ -Okay.
-Sometimes it's addicting.
After you get your first chainsaw, you just need a couple of days' rest, and then you want to go back into the forest and get some more.
How do you think we came up with around 700 of them?
♪♪ So we decided to graduate from catching chainsaws to going after the conveyances.
♪♪ The trucks, the jitneys, the tricycles, the boats, the ships.
Everything that carried illicit or hot lumber, we decided to confiscate them so that we can establish a bigger deterrence.
Of course, now I have four more like this in the pier.
But this was the first.
♪♪ This museum is actually a statement to show the communities that it can be done by ordinary people, that there is a group now in the province that is not afraid and that wants to do things differently.
♪♪ When I caught my first chainsaw, it wasn't with Tata.
When I met Tata, this was a logger.
You understand?
He did the logging himself.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Saw whirring ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Ooh-hoo!
Hoo-hoo!
Hoo-hoo!
Whoo!
Whoo-hoo!
[ Speaking native language ] -[ Laughs ] -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ -[ Laughs ] -[ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] [ Laughter ] -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] [ Sniffles ] [ Sobs ] [ Sniffles ] [ Speaking native language ] [ Conversing in native language ] -When my team leaves for an area, I get a little bit tense because their lives are in danger.
I used to go with them, but I'm a bit of a liability already because I'm too slow already.
♪♪ [ Horn honks ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I'm not really comfortable with having too much, even for myself.
My father was a shoeshine boy for the priests.
And they decided to give him an Ateneo education.
Now he's an accountant.
And he sent his kids, his boys, all of us, we went through Ateneo that was run by the Jesuits.
That's the only legacy that he can provide for us, and our motto is to be men for others... ...since elementary, law school, doctorating, because Jesus Christ served.
♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I would like to believe that God is pushing us to do this work.
When you try to save his creation, you get a glimpse and a feeling of something that's divine.
It's indescribable.
[ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ [ Laughter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Sighs ] [ Breathes deeply ] -[ Laughs ] [ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -♪ Sometimes goodbyes are not forever ♪ ♪ It doesn't matter if you're gone ♪ ♪ I still believe in us together ♪ ♪ I understand ♪ ♪ More than you think I can ♪ ♪ You have to go out on your own ♪ ♪ So you can find your way back home ♪ ♪ And somewhere down the road ♪ ♪ Our roads are gonna cross again ♪ ♪ It doesn't really matter where ♪ ♪ But somewhere down the road ♪ ♪ I know that heart of yours ♪ ♪ Will come to see ♪ ♪ That you belong ♪ ♪ With me ♪ -[ Cheering ] -Again.
-Happy birthday, Dado!
-Thank you.
-Happy birthday, Dado.
[ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ -[ Laughs ] -[ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ -The mayor of El Nido, she is an ally.
We supported her candidacy.
We help her in her environmental issues.
♪♪ -Good morning.
-Hi.
♪♪ -Okay.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Woman laughs ] ♪♪ [ Man speaking in native language ] -Amen.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] -[ Sighs ] [ Breathes deeply ] [ Saw whirring ] -[ Whispering in native language ] [ Whirring continues ] [ Gunshots ] [ Birds chirping ] [ Bell tolling ] ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Crying ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Wailing ] ♪♪ [ Shouting in native language ] ♪♪ -Kapitan Arzaga was more than just a para-enforcer.
He was our friend.
And if you...
Wait.
[ Breathes deeply ] [ Sighs ] We've -- We've lost many already.
Three this year...
I think, of around 13.
So... [ Sighs, sniffles ] I can't help but feel responsible, especially to the families they left behind.
♪♪ I'm just really close to closing the whole program.
I'm seriously considering preventing more deaths like this.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] [ Conversing in native language ] -"Responsible for the...
destruction."
"Para--" Another word for "the destruction."
"Responsible for the..." Blah!
♪♪ Our biggest threat now is when politicians have their way all at the expense of our remaining forests.
And we have to stop these politicians.
And we have to stop our governor.
[ Camera shutter clicking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ The governor owned a logging company in the province 1991, 1992.
You know, once a logger, always a logger.
♪♪ You see a large amount of forest being cleared so that they can build plantations.
And that is what's happening now.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Whoa.
Hm.
-In this province, there are very few individuals who will say no to him.
And our group is one of them.
In fact, we're the biggest opposition.
But it's nice because if the loggers see that if the governor himself cannot get his chainsaws back, then nobody can.
Last sentence, last sentence.
Big finish, Roy.
Bible verse for the governor.
Something about hell.
"Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
"Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Okay.
Print.
Sign.
Sign, people.
And let's file it today.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pride and honor to introduce to you Rodrigo Roa Duterte, president, Republic of the Philippines.
[ Applause ] [ Speaking native language ] [ Applause continues ] [ Applause ] [ Laughter ] [ Thunder crashes ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -One of the right-hand men of the governor threatened to kill me in radio.
So we're a little bit apprehensive because suddenly they're casing our joint.
Because of that, we consider every day as a red alert day.
I can't go anywhere except to church because of the threats against me.
Even with Tata.
♪♪ ♪♪ [ Man speaking in native language ] ♪♪ My daughter used to be close to me.
Now she's closer to my wife.
They have to be relocated to Manila and stay there so that they won't be in harm's way.
♪♪ My wife doesn't want me to do this.
The wife of Tata doesn't want him to do this.
All our families don't want us to do this.
But it's like you have this singularity of purpose that makes your mind clear that this is what you have to do when you get up in the morning.
I'd like to believe it's grace.
♪♪ [ Man singing in native language ] ♪♪ Most of the environmental actions of the mayor affect the governor.
Especially in El Nido.
♪♪ Most of the projects that the governor has been doing are geared towards the benefit of big business and tourism.
Because of that, the governor is building roads into forests to commit to those investments.
Things are up for grabs.
And people would like to own islands, beaches, with forests.
And that's causing a lot of destruction on both our coastal and terrestrial environment.
Because the road network is becoming bigger and it's transgressing into old-growth forests.
And then there's a frenzy of resort ownerships that eventually destroy our coastal areas.
So slowly the last frontier is becoming the lost frontier.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -These are Mayor Antonio Halili's last moments, captured with a cellphone at a flag-raising ceremony.
The national anthem plays.
The mayor in a dark suit, hand over heart.
The camera cuts away, and you hear a single gunshot.
[ Gunshot, Philippine national anthem plays ] [ Crowd screaming ] -Oh, my God.
-The shooting also caught on camera from behind.
Halili runs to the right, then drops to the ground, shot dead, a single bullet to the chest.
But the mayor, once known as the Iron Man of Tanauan for his crackdown on crime, was most recently suspected of being involved with drugs himself.
According to the Philippines News Agency, the country's National Police Commission reportedly placed him on a narco list.
-Human Rights Watch believes the list is part of President Duterte's attempt to influence the outcome of the elections.
The president, however, stands by the list.
-At least I kill to protect people.
-Several thousand people have been killed in Duterte's anti-drugs campaign, and human rights advocates fear it could be just the start.
♪♪ ♪♪ -Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte releases a controversial list of politicians allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
Speaking from Davao City, Duterte read several names on the list, which includes elected officials and candidates for the upcoming May midterm polls.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -An old friend.
♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] -[ Sniffles ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Gun cocks ] [ Gunshot ] -[ Speaking native language ] [ Gunshot ] [ Gunshot ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Horns honking ] [ Man speaking in native language ] [ Honking continues ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Rain falling ] [ Applause ] -[ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ [ Speaking native language ] [ Applause ] [ Man singing in native language ] [ Woman speaking in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Man speaking in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -It's easy to get over being depressed when you have a little rage in you.
And that rage, it's all too familiar for us as a group.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] -Be careful.
-Hey.
-No problem, man.
[ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Vehicle departing ] Okay.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Sometimes when I hear the critics say we should not do it because people get killed, I know that that is a good argument.
I know.
♪♪ But we have to do it because nobody else will.
♪♪ ♪♪ -Mm.
[ Saw whirring in distance ] -Psst.
[ Whirring continues ] [ Leaves rustling ] [ Whirring continues ] Psst.
[ Whispering in native language ] [ Dog barking in distance ] [ Whirring continues ] [ Whispering in native language ] [ Dog barking ] [ Conversing in native language ] [ Speaking native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Water streaming ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Thunder crashes ] [ Rosento speaking in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] ♪♪ [ Applause ] ♪♪ [ Horn honks ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Conversing in native language ] [ Rain falling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Man speaking in native language ] -76.
-Okay.
♪♪ -175.
[ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Mm.
♪♪ -Yeah!
Whoo!
[ Conversing in native language ] -Huh?
♪♪ ♪♪ -520.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Rosento, 137.
♪♪ 232.
♪♪ -562.
-562.
♪♪ -849.
[ Rosento speaks native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Man shouting indistinctly ] [ Machinery clanging ] -No, it's really painful.
-[ Giggles ] [ Giggles ] -I will be back.
From now... ...to...to... ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Horns honking ] [ Woman speaking native language ] [ Protestors shouting in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Shouting continues in distance ] -[ Speaks indistinctly ] -Really nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
-Finally.
[ Laughs ] -You look different in... -How are you, mate?
Good to see you.
How's things?
Did you see the book?
-No, I was... -There you go.
-Thank you.
I'm gonna read this later.
-Yeah, one that's hot off the press.
♪♪ -Wow.
-I'm glad we've been in touch about this.
-Yeah.
-I'd like to introduce our key spokesperson for the day, Ben Leather from Global Witness.
-Good morning, everybody.
I'm here to present the result of a three-year investigation across several regions and a range of businesses across the Philippines.
Our investigation finds that last year, the Philippines became the most dangerous country on Earth with more killings than anywhere else of environmentalists and land rights activists.
Activists face not only murder, but systematic threats, attacks, imprisonment, attacks against them, their colleagues, but also their family members, crimes that are rarely ever prosecuted.
This is fueled by corruption and conflict of interest among companies and local politicians, such as Governor Jose Alvarez in Palawan, leaving the burden of environmental protection to fall upon civil society, to fall upon defenders, and to fall upon those communities most impacted by abusive business projects and by climate change.
It falls upon people like Bobby Chan and the PNNI in Palawan who are standing up to illegal logging.
And at the time of these climate strikes this week, it seems pertinent to ask, if we cannot protect the people defending the planet, how are we gonna protect the planet?
-Sorry.
-I also want to... [ Camera shutters clicking ] -Hi.
I'm the guy with the, uh, collection of chain saws.
And why do we do it?
Because, you know, as they said, the system of impunity of government has forced us to do the work of government, forced us to go after the loggers and get their chain saws, to go after the illegal fishers and get their dynamite boats, to go after the illegal miners and get their mining equipment.
And it's now part of my office, and I converted it into a museum, and you're welcome to visit it.
Just pay 50 pesos so that we can make money.
[ Laughter ] But the thing is, we have to stop scaring ourselves with this system of impunity.
One of the recommendations of Global Witness, and I praise them for, is brazenly written -- to give civil society full oversight... [ Speaks native language ] For us to have oversight of governmental functions in the environmental field -- it can be done.
[ Camera shutters clicking ] [ Indistinct conversations ] [ Man speaks native language ] [ Protesters shouting in native language ] [ Shouting in native language continues ] [ Shouting continues in distance ] -Wow.
I didn't even know about this, uh, resort.
They really had better research, because I really did not know about the resort of the brother.
I know about the linkages of the governor to certain resorts in El Nido, but not about the brother.
So I think... long overdue, because it's the truth, no?
I think we're not only going to have a problem with the governor.
I think we're going to have a problem with the president... ...with this -- yeah -- with this kind of writing.
I miss my friend.
[ Motor puttering ] ♪♪ [ People speaking native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds calling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪
