Five years since the murder of human rights lawyer Benjamin Ramos, peasant and human rights groups in Kabankalan City, Negros, continue to demand justice for his death.

On November 6, 2018, human rights lawyer Benjamin Ramos was shot and killed in Barangay 5, Kabankalan City near a local store close to the public plaza.

Ramos then served as secretary-general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers-Negros Island. He was known for his advocacy on behalf of peasants and as the legal representative for political prisoners, including youth leader Myles Albasin and her five companions, known as the Mabinay 6.

Ramos also served as the executive director of Paghiliusa Development Group, Inc. (PDG Inc.), an organization focused on empowering impoverished and exploited communities and promoting peace and sustainable development for over three decades.

PDG Inc. has continued to face disinformation and vilification campaigns, with its leaders subjected to red-tagging, surveillance, and harassment by state agents. (Related story: Southern Negros locals decry military harrassment, disinformation campaign)

In September 2023, two military intelligence agents were observed near the PDG office in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, raising concerns about the safety of human rights advocates.

“May the conscience of the perpetrators of Atty. Ben and the numerous victims of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations pay their toll. We continue to call on responsible government leaders and authorities to lead the way to genuine and lasting peace by respecting human rights and abolishing the unjust Anti-Terrorism Act that has victimized the innocents and development activists.” PDG Inc. says in an issued statement.

According to Global Witness, the Philippines remained the most dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders in 2021, with 11 such defenders killed. The report highlighted that 80% of the killings in the Philippines were related to defenders protesting company operations, with a third of the deaths connected to the mining industry, followed by the agribusiness sector.

Since 2012, the Philippines has been the worst place in Asia for land activists, with at least 281 land defenders killed over the past decade.