Letter to Philippine Community

Philippine Environmental Activist Threatened, Colleague Assassinated

Antonio “Tony” Oposa, Jr., a Harvard educated environmental lawyer, requires immediate assistance. Mr. Oposa and his family fear for their lives after the brutal assassination of colleague, Elpidio “Jojo” De la Victoria, in Cebu City on April 12, 2006. Local officials believe hostility of the local fishing industry to the environmental reforms championed by both men may have motivated the attack, and the current death threats to Mr. Oposa.

Law professors from around the world have signed a Declaration of Concern, expressing their horrified dismay at the murder of Mr. De la Victoria, and the threats to Mr. Oposa’s life and work to protect the biodiversity of the Visayan Sea from unsustainable fishing techniques. The legal community is especially concerned for Mr. Oposa’s safety as he attends the funeral for De la Victoria this Sunday, April 23, 2006, despite the P1,000,000 bounty on his head.

Please circulate this email to as many people in the Philippine community as possible, to raise awareness about the current threats to Mr. Oposa’s life, and to stop this needless bloodshed. Attached is additional information regarding the current situation, and how to help out. For further information, please contact Professor Zygmunt Plater (plater@bc.edu) at Boston College Law School or Professor John Bonine (jbonine@uoregon.edu) at the University of Oregon School of Law.