Joanna Sustento being escorted off Shell HQ by building security. Photo by Geric Cruz of Greenpeace.
Do you now identify as an activist?I am an activist now. Before, I didn’t feel like I was worthy to call myself an activist. In fact, I used to think they were just troublemakers. My dad was in the military and he didn’t have the nicest things to say about them. But I realized they’re not all like that; I understand now that it’s more than that. So yeah, I would like to call myself an activist.I wanted my story to be one that would empower my community and the communities around that are vulnerable to climate impact.
My protest moved her and she said she would get my message across to the Shell representative. That conversation proved to me that even if you are a lone protester, you can make people understand. I imagine her telling other people about that conversation and that is already a step.Building security didn’t want me to stand under the rain and tried to redirect me to someone from Shell, but of course, the representative didn’t come down to speak to me. Instead, a female guard from building security was sent to speak to me, I told her my story and she said she too had loved ones from Tacloban.
Joanna Sustento lone protesting outside of Shell HQ in Bonifacio Global City, Philippines. Photo by Geric Cruz of Greenpeace.
If we are already informed about the climate crisis, let’s do our best to get the word out. There need to be more people aware of the issue and why there is a need to take urgency and take action. Let’s not be afraid to ask questions because if we just accept what is fed to us by the system, nothing will change. We can work towards better solutions and that’s where change will come from.Here in the Philippines, we are already living with the consequences of the climate crisis. We have already lost loved ones, and the world needs to know that this isn’t something in the future.When people in other countries talk about the climate crisis, it’s always in the context of “happening in the future,” that we have x amount of years, but I need them to understand that they should take action now because it’s currently happening. There have been a lot of dreams lost and not realized because of this.Interview has been edited for clarity.Follow Lia on Instagram and Twitter.We were all given different capacities and we can all tweak that to help out. There is no blueprint for advocacy. There are different ways to be an activist.
