Standing at just a little over five feet tall, Manuel Abinales is an unassuming figure — especially against the backdrop of disaster risk reduction initiatives he’s spearheaded for the residents of Banaba, a district in San Mateo, Rizal, just outside metropolitan Manila.
In 1995, a year before he formally founded the people’s organization Buklod Tao, Abinales took it upon himself to organize and lead the community in fighting off a company’s plans to set up a cement factory on a farmland along the Marikina and Nangka river banks. Residents used the land to cultivate their own crops, but were threatened by a court order that allowed it to become a commercial space.
The 67-year-old is no rookie in organizing. During his years abroad, he worked to organize recreational events for company employees. But he recalled the events of 1995 put his skills and determination to the test. It was a battle that he and the community had to fight — not only in court but, literally, on the ground.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
