在地球日的前夕，菲律賓傳出環保人士遭槍殺的消息，且另有一名伙伴性命垂危，據信這起事件的背後與因龐大商業漁業利益有關。這位死者名為艾爾皮迪歐‧迪拉維托利亞（Elpidio de la Victoria），地球日一週前於菲國宿務島購買復活節物品後返家的途中，遭人從背後射殺身亡，而菲國最大的報刊形容他為「地球日烈士」。
迪拉維托利亞遭射殺後倒入他22歲兒子的懷中，隨即被送醫急救，翌日不治死亡。外界直到地球日前夕才得知此一消息。
據菲律賓當地媒體報導指出，目前盛傳商業捕魚利益團體共同出資100萬披索（約64萬新台幣）雇用殺手，加害迪拉維托利亞以及另一位與他共事的世界知名環境律師安東尼奧‧歐帕薩（Antonio Oposa）。最近兩人收到不少恐嚇威脅的黑函。
事件發生後，來自20個國家的170名環境法專家聯合起來，於20日代表歐帕薩向菲國總統雅羅育發出請願信，要求給予菲國當局提供歐帕薩人身保護，並採取行動保護菲律賓人長期捍衛的瀕危魚類與珊瑚礁。
迪拉維托利亞與歐帕薩長期以來領導一項保育行動，要求政府當局在米沙鄢海域實施禁漁，停止商業和破壞性捕魚方式。許多地方政府官員也連署支持，訴請菲國漁業暨水資源局禁漁，有研究顯示，此處是世界上生物多樣性最豐富的海域之一。
As Earth Day dawned around the world, word came that one environmental advocate in the Philippines was gunned down last week and another is living under threat to his life. A leading Philippines newspaper today called the murdered man an "Earth Day martyr." Elpidio de la Victoria was shot in the back and killed on April 13 in Cebu, Philippines, as he returned to his house from buying food for the Easter holiday celebration.
He collapsed into the arms of his 22-year old son, who rushed him to the hospital. He died the next day, although word did not get out to a wider world until this week.
Commercial fishing interests are rumored to have collected a fund of one million pesos (nearly $20,000) to kill de la Victoria and his colleague, world-renowned environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa, Philippines news outlets have reported. Both de la Victoria and Oposa received numerous threats in recent days.
In response to the events, 170 environmental law professors from 20 countries around the world have rallied to Oposa's defense with a petition that they have sent today to the President of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo. They are demanding protection for Oposa and also for the endangered fish and corals that the Filipinos have been fighting to save.
De la Victoria and Oposa have been leaders in a campaign to persuade governmental bodies to close the Visayan Sea Marine Triangle to commercial and destructive forms of fishing. Various local government executives have signed a petition addressed to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to close the Triangle. Studies have shown the Triangle is considered to be the most biologically diverse marine area in the world.
