Beatrice "Betty" Belen
Sources
On 25 October 2020, Beatrice Belen, women's rights organisation worker and leader of Innabuyog-Kalinga, the local chapter of Gabriela, was arrested on false charges after her house was searched by the police and being red-tagged in Lubuagan, the Philippines. According to logal organisations, Philippine National Police and Philippine Army came to the Western Uma and Lower Uma villages at 4:00 a.m. to search several houses, including that of Beatrice Belen. For decades, Belen has shown strong leadership in her community against destructive projects. In 2012, Belen led the campaign against Chevron Energy company’s geothermal power project in Kalinga, citing alleged detrimental effects of the said project to lives and health of the community members, especially women and children. In 2018, Belen was awarded Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (Environmental Hero) for her sustained defense of their ancestral land from destruction by private companies.