Francisco “Eco” Dangla III

Fracisco “Eco” Dangla III is an environmental human rights defender from the Pangasinan province, in the Philippines, upholding environmental and human rights with a particular focus on the marginalised communities of farmers and fisherfolk. The human rights defender is a convener of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment (PPSE) established in 2021. PPSE is also part of the Pangasinan Empowered Action on Care for the Environment (PEACENet) that included the Social Action Networks of Caritas in the Dioceses of Urdaneta and Alaminos, and the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. The human rights defender was actively engaged in various faith-based environmental initiatives, including the Pangasinan Ecumenical Fellowship and the Justice and Peace Church Ecology Ministry of the Diocese of Dagupan – Lingayen. Through these platforms, he contributed to environmental campaigns across 15 towns and 55 parishes. He also advocated for the protection of Lingayen Gulf from black sand mining, opposing the proposal of six nuclear plants in the Labrador Municipality, and campaigning against coal-fired power plants, and resisting the establishments of waste incinerators for waste-to-energy projects. Additionally, as a participant of the Environmental Defenders Congress (EDC) and the Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED), Fracisco “Eco” Dangla III also worked to enhance protection and accountability mechanisms for environmental human rights defenders at risk.