Community Legal Help and Public Interest Centre, Inc.

A Love That Defies the Storm: Reflecting on the EHRD Guide Launch

February is often painted in shades of red and pink — roses gathered in bouquets, handwritten notes in cute cards, quiet dinners, and even grand declarations. But beyond the romance we celebrate with our loved ones, there exists another kind of love — one less adorned, yet no less powerful. It is the steadfast devotion of those who stand in the frontlines of our environment, a love that extends to the land beneath our feet, the seas that sustain us, and the communities whose lives depend on their protection.

This deeper, unadorned love is not celebrated with flowers or candlelight, but with resilience, sacrifice, and courage. It is carried by those who defend bodies of water from reclamation and pollution, forests from destruction, and communities from displacement. Their devotion is not fleeting, it is a daily choice to protect life itself, even when the odds are overwhelming. And it is precisely this kind of love, fierce, unyielding, and rooted in justice, that set the stage for what unfolded next.

On February 4, 2026, this fierce devotion took center stage during the official launch of the Environmental Human Rights Defenders' (EHRD) Guide. The event wasn't just a technical briefing; it was a testament to the people who choose to love the environment when the cost of that love is unimaginably high.

The Selfless Heart of a Defender

The launch was more than a ceremonial milestone; it was a reminder of the human spirit behind every clause and guideline in the EHRD Guide. Each page carries the weight of lived struggles, echoing the courage of those who risk their safety to protect what sustains us all. To understand the true significance of this work, one must look beyond the event itself and into the lives of the defenders who embody its principles.

To be an EHRD is to stand at the frontlines of environmental protection. They fight for clean water, defend ancestral lands, oppose destructive mining and reclamation, and call out pollution and illegal activities. Their love for the environment is not abstract; it is lived, practiced, and often costly.

Yet this devotion does not come without consequence. The same courage that drives defenders to protect rivers, forests, and communities also exposes them to relentless opposition. Their battles extend far beyond the natural world, spilling into political arenas and legal systems where resistance takes on new, insidious forms.

 

The Price of Protection

During the event, several EHRDs took the podium to narrate the harrowing struggles they’ve faced—struggles that have shifted from the wilderness to the courtroom.

They didn't speak of natural disasters, but of man-made obstacles designed to break their spirits through the weight of the legal system. Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) — cases designed not to seek justice, but to silence, exhaust, and intimidate. Even baseless lawsuits drain time, resources, and emotional strength. These defenders are increasingly finding themselves caught in a web of weaponized legalities, where the law is used not as a shield for justice, but as a hurdle to exhaust their resolve.

In the face of these relentless pressures, the need for collective wisdom and practical tools becomes undeniable. What emerged from the event was not only testimony of hardship but also a call for resilience, a recognition that defenders must be equipped to withstand the legal and systemic forces arrayed against them. Out of this urgency arose the EHRD Guide, forged from lived experience and designed to transform vulnerability into strength.

 

The Guide: A Shield Crafted from Experience

The launch of the EHRD Guide is a direct response to these hardships. It is more than just a manual; it is a survival kit. It acknowledges that while the love of these defenders is selfless, they should not have to be "martyrs" for the cause.

This milestone was marked with struggles and hardships from the frontlines:

 

"Yung trauma ko ang hindi natatanggal kasi tuwing may nakatok sa pintuan namin, kinakabahan kami..." — Chicklet Laguitan

"When the case started, kailangan kong mag alay ng dalawa hanggang tatlong araw ng buhay para maka byahe papunta ng Quezon Province." — Jordan Jawo Jayme Correa

 

These testimonies remind us that behind every legal case is a human being — a parent, a sibling, a volunteer, a protector. Their words capture both the emotional toll of defense and the immense strength required to persist when the odds feel stacked against them.

The EHRD Guide serves as a shield in these moments of vulnerability. It explains what SLAPP is, how to recognize it, and what legal remedies may be available under existing environmental and human rights protections. It equips defenders with practical knowledge — transforming fear into informed action. In situations where power feels uneven, access to legal guidance becomes an equalizer.

But beyond its legal strategies and technical clarity, the Guide carries something more profound: solidarity. It is not only about defending rights in courtrooms, but about affirming the dignity of those who dare to protect the Earth. In its pages lies a recognition that environmental defense is both a legal struggle and a moral commitment — a collective embrace that turns vulnerability into shared strength.

Loving in the Time of Crisis

In the end, what shines through every testimony, every page of the Guide, and every act of resistance is love, not the fragile kind that wilts under pressure, but the fierce, enduring love that binds people to the Earth and to one another. It is a love that refuses to be silenced, that transforms vulnerability into courage, and that insists the environment is not just a resource, but a living inheritance worth protecting. To honor EHRDs is to recognize that their struggle is, at its core, an act of love, a reminder that in defending the environment, they are defending the very possibility of a future where love itself can thrive.

More than a publication, the guide represents institutional love. It reminds us that in a time of crisis, the most revolutionary thing you can do is care deeply about something other than yourself. This February, choose a love that does not only whisper promises to a partner, but makes a promise to the Earth — and to the brave souls who protect it.

Download the EHRD Guide Against Abusive Lawsuits in the Philippines here: https://bit.ly/3LaxtbS