ISLESibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment, Inc.SIBUYANText Box: Save Sibuyan Text Box: Protect Lives Text Box: Breaking News The employees of Sibuyan Properties Development Corporation (SNPDC), local partner of Pelican Resources, Ltd. (Australia) and mining giant BHP Billiton (United Kingdom/Australia) filed strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) that is grave coercion against the protestors during the October 3, 2007 tragic picket in Sibuyan Island, province of Romblon, Philippines. The struggle of Sibuyanons created more tensions when subpoenas were issued on October 30, 2007, to picketers who joined the infamous October 13 protest. Kingo charged more than 85 advocates with grave coercion. Those who were charged include 12 teachers and witnesses to the killing of Councilor Armin Marin. His testimony was supported by affidavits executed by then-Barangay Captain Ludilyn Montojo (who was accused with perjury because she was not present during the picket), John Cleope and Yrel Cleope. In addition, Mario Kingo and Leah Ladica (SNPDC’s community relations officer) filed administrative charges against the teachers. “The Parents, Teachers and Community Association (PTCA) requested help from us for their grievances to be heard for their children and our pupils and we saw it as our moral obligation. We practiced our civil and political rights. It is also our responsibility to protect the future of our pupils, our ultimate call as teachers is to lead them to a better future,” says Elma Galicha, principal of España Elementary School. The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC-KsK/FoE Phils.) considers the case filed against the advocates as example of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). The term SLAPP originally came from the United States of America—a strategy employed by corporations to practically suppress the opposition and resistance of communities. Copyright Sibuyan ISLE, Inc. 2008. All Rights Reserved.