Gloria Capitan
Gloria Capitan was one of the leaders of the Coal-Free Bataan Movement and the President of United Citizens of Lucanin Association (Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Lucanin), a community-based organisation that has been peacefully opposing the operation and expansion of coal plants and open storage facilities in the Mariveles neighbourhood which have had harmful consequences for the local population. As a part of her human rights work, Gloria Capitan organised campaigns, filed complaints with the court, collected signatures for petitions and initiated other public actions, calling for a permanent closure of a coal project undertaken in the region.
Of serious concern in the Philippines is the persistence of extrajudicial killings and physical attacks against HRDs, nearly all of which are perpetrated with impunity. Despite being a party to several international human rights treaties which impose a duty on the state to investigate alleged violations of the right to life, the Philippines has provided human rights defenders with little or no protection.
