Representing the peasant sector, Riza Fanilag works with the Church-Peasant Solidarity Council (CPSC), a network formed by bishops, priests, pastors, sisters, deacons from Catholic and Protestant traditions, Moro Peoples, the National Federation of Farmers, fisher folk, women peasants, agricultural workers and indigenous people. CPSC serves as a vehicle for both the church and peasant sectors to affirm the common faith and comittment to continue working for human rights and the common good, particularly of the rural poor. With anti-terrorism legislation in the philippines becoming stronger and more important, conditions for human rights defenders have become more difficult.

The environment in which human rights defenders work in the Philippines has been described by the UN Special Representative on human rights defenders as "a particularly dangerous one". there has been an escalation in extra-judicial killings, shootings and abductions, which take place in a climate of impunity. In particular, defenders working in the field of women's rights, urban poverty, peasants' rights and workers' rights are targeted, as are journalists and defenders who are critical of the military or seen as being sympathetic to the communist movement. Many human rights defenders targeted have been told that they are on the Order of Battle, a list of human rights defenders alleged to have links to armed opposition groups.

I am Riza Fanilag, 31 years old, married but with no children, from the Western Mindanao in the Philippines. My history as a woman human rights worker began in my childhood where my parents, both farmers, taught me to serve the people and take the side of the poor. In my teens I joined a student organisation, then later I became a worker of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines – Western Mindanao, a church group working to better the life of the rural poor. I worked and lived among the peasants, forming organisations to struggle for their rights. Being part of their lives and struggles I saw that when they are united there is hope in their miserable lives.

But I also discovered that the Government is opposed to such organisations and struggles; and when peasants assert their rights, militarisation in the area increases. Despite this, I persisted in my work. So that, as early as 2003, my friends and relatives told me that I am on the military’s Order of Battle list (OB). I was worried but I persisted because I knew that I had done nothing wrong.

But on March 8, 2005 while I was at a meeting planning a peace mission to Basilan and Sulu, a group of fully armed men, some wearing masks, barged into our meeting, identifying themselves as military. They forcibly arrested and took away one of my colleagues Angelina Ipong, a 60 years old woman, and long time human rights worker.While they were dragging her away, the military trained their guns on us and shouted for us not to move or they would shoot. Afterwards, we went to all the military camps searching for her, but it took weeks before we finally found her in the detention centre in Zamboanga del Sur. She had been heavily tortured and molested.

This experience greatly affected me psychologically and physically and I was in and out of hospital. This worsened because I could not go home as the military frequently went to my parents’ house demanding that I surrender. My husband and I decided to go to Manila to escape this military harassment, and also for my further medical treatment. I continued my work as a human rights defender in the national office of a national women’s peasant federation. More recently, I have been working with the Church Peasant Solidarity Council.

The harassment of my parents in Western Mindanao, however, continued. We decided to move them to Manila. I thought they would be safe from harassment, but in August, military began visiting their house asking for me. Apart from visits, my parents had constant phone calls, sometimes with no one answering, just the sound of guns being cocked and shooting in the background. I have since learned that I am a priority target of the military. I have reason to be concerned as there have been over 800 extra-judicial killings in the Philippines under the Arroyo Administration and more than 200 forced disappearances. More than half of these victims are peasant human rights defenders.

Human rights defenders like myself are resolved to continue our commitment. Given the dangerous situation, there is great need for a sanctuary program with adequate funding and easy access.