Power from the Forest: The Politics of Logging (Revised Edition)

For Ateneo de Manila University Press

Marites Dañguilan Vitug

Power from the Forest is the story of logging in the Philippines, the story of the exercise of power—who wields it, who benefits from it, and how. 
The dangerous intertwine of forests and politics was most glaring under Ferdinand Marcos. In bestowing upon himself the power to grant and revoke logging licenses, Marcos deftly used the forests as a political tool.
The insurgency war had bred new logging interests—the rebels and the military who have made the forests their battleground and their sources of income.
But amid this gloomy foreboding, there are shafts of light. The Indigenous peoples and rural folk who have lived in or around these forests are starting to stir, as well as a growing number of nongovernmental organizations and concerned individuals. 
Marites Dañguilan Vitug harnesses her investigative skills to tell us the tragic story of the Philippine forests, the people who continue to plunder them and those who are trying to protect them. Revised and with a foreword by Antonio La Viña, this new edition reminds us that fight for the environment continues.

"[This book] is a comprehensively researched book that served those of us in the Presidential Commission on Good Government. Marites Vitug's book became a primary resource for me and for those seeking to understand the relationship between dictatorship and deforestation. The book helped me map and articulate the links that needed to be translated into legal arguments. But it is just as important for those who continue to seek accountability for corruption linked to deforestation during and after the Marcos dictatorship. Its reissuance comes at a vital time: the Marcoses have returned to power. Climate justice activists and anti-corruption and human rights advocates will need Vitug's book as a resource for holding the Marcoses accountable for the damage they have done to Philippine forests."
- Ruben Carranza, former commissioner, Presidential Commission on Good Government

Marites Danguilan Vitug is a multiawarded journalist and the best-selling author of numerous books including Rock Solid. She is editor-at-large of news website Rappler.

Publication Year: 2023
225pp
8 b/w images
Paperback
ISBN: 9786214482566

Distributed for Ateneo de Manila University Press