Aloysius “Ochie” Ureta Baes (July 28, 1948 – December 21, 2006) was a Filipino chemist, environmentalist, pro-democracy activist, educator and musician. Late in his career, Baes was best known for his environmental activism, playing key roles in exposing the role of mining and logging companies in the 1991 Ormoc tragedy, the

Marcopper mining disaster The Marcopper mining disaster is one of the worst mining and environmental disasters in Philippine history. It occurred on March 24, 1996, on the Philippine island of Marinduque, a province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The ...

, the Rapu-rapu mining disaster, and in the campaign to hold the US military responsible for the toxic wastes left behind after the closure of Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Base. He was also a key figure in the founding of

Advocates of Science and Technology for the People Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Filipino: ''Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya Para sa Sambayanan'') or simply Agham is a non-governmental science advocacy organization based in the Philippines. Founded in 1999 by ...

(Agham) and of the Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines (CEC-Phil). Before all that, however, he was better known for his role in the resistance against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, for which his name is inscribed at the

Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the dictatorship of for ...

, which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the dictatorship. He is similarly honored at "Hagdan ng Malayang Kamalayan" memorial steps at his alma mater - the

University of the Philippines Los Baños The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB; fil, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Los Baños), also referred to as UP Los Baños or colloquially as Elbi (), is a public research university primarily located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay ...

. The protest songs he wrote while incarcerated under Martial Law became popular and influential, eventually being considered among the 'top hits of martial law' sung by detainees in political prisons throughout the Philippines.

References

1948 births 2006 deaths Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Marcos martial law victims University of the Philippines Los Baños alumni University of the Philippines Los Baños people honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Artists and cultural workers honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani {{Philippines-bio-stub

See also

References