MANILA — Delegates of the “Grounding Solidarity: A Learning and Solidarity Mission to Communities Affected by Climate Injustice and Militarism” pushed through with their international solidarity mission despite alleged harassment from state agents, organizers said Sunday.

According to the Peoples Rising for Climate Justice (PRCJ), the mission — which gathers international and local delegates across Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas — aims to express solidarity with communities affected by climate threats aggravated by environmental destruction, corruption, and militarization.

Local hosts of the Mindoro leg welcomed the participants and thanked them for their presence and support.

“Natutuwa ako na maraming nakarating dito sa Mindoro upang makiisa at makibahagi sa aming kalagayan… Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga taga-ibang bansa na nagplano at nagpunta rito sa Mindoro, sa aming lupang ninuno ng tribong Iraya,” said William (not his real name), a 60-year-old farmer from Mindoro.

International delegates echoed their support for the affected communities.

“We’ve just been treated so kindly and welcomed so genuinely… It was basically the earth telling us that we were meant to be here together to fight for our land – lupa,” said Damien Connor of the Kalikasan Solidarity Organization.

However, PRCJ reported that participants faced harassment and surveillance allegedly from elements linked to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Delegates in Mindoro said barangay officials arrived at their campsite demanding a mayor’s permit and a list of all participants, despite the activity being held on private property.

Officials reportedly warned the group they would be declared persona non grata if they failed to comply. In Leyte and Manila, other delegates allegedly experienced surveillance and unauthorized photography by suspected covert agents.

The group said such demands and intimidation have no legal basis, as existing laws do not require barangay or mayor’s permits for private gatherings nor compel organizers to disclose participant identities, including those of foreign delegates covered by immigration regulations.

Despite the reported incidents, PRCJ maintained that the mission’s successful launch was a “decisive win,” underscoring the need for stronger solidarity against “the twin evils of climate injustice and militarism.”

The solidarity mission forms part of a series of events leading up to the Asia Pacific People’s Conference on Climate Imperialism and Militarism in Manila on October 16–17, and is expected to build momentum toward COP30 Amazonia, where advocates will push for “people-centered climate solutions rooted in justice and solidarity.”