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Environmental groups condemned the harassment against the people of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya who continue to defend their land against mining exploitation of the North Luzon Mineral Resources Center.
For Enggo, it is important to involve not just their community but also other Filipinos to stand with them as the harm caused by mining affects the whole country.
The Marcos Jr. administration's push to expand mining for critical minerals, alongside partnerships with foreign governments through initiatives such as Pax Silica, could further open biodiversity hotspots and Indigenous territories to extraction in response to foreign demand.
"As Bishop of this Diocese, I carry the responsibility given to me at ordination to stand with the poor."
“This success in Dupax del Norte is a success against mining all over the Philippines."
“The temporary suspension is not justice—it's the bare minimum. As long as Woggle Mining’s permit exists, Dupax del Norte remains vulnerable to continued plunder and harassment."
“The situation in Dupax del Norte is emblematic of the Filipino people’s long history of resisting foreign mining giants in the country."
Bamboo poles, scrap wood, and tarpaulins are simple materials turned into symbols of resistance.
Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment said that the moratorium is not only a victory for the people of Palawan but for all Filipino communities resisting destructive mining.
“The mining law liberalized the Philippine mining industry to bolster the country's economic growth. However, nearly three decades after, mountains have been flattened, rivers have become lifeless, and the well-being of the people has been severely affected."
“Mr. Duterte’s order to lift the mining agreement moratorium will be a disaster upon disaster because the Mining Act of 1995 is still in place. We cannot allow this deluge of destructive large-scale mining when communities are still suffering from the converging pandemic and climate crises.”
If we do not fight back, no one will be left to fight for us and the future generations. If we do not push back, the world that sustain our very lives will be pushed to the brink by tyrants and demagogues like Duterte.
The more disturbing issue, however, is the ever-increasing human rights violations and extrajudicial killings of human rights activists who advocate for ordinary people and local communities opposed to large-scale mining operations.
There is an increasing number of commercially operating large-scale mines and mineral reservation areas under Duterte, and in the case filed by environmentalists at the IPT2018, such an expansion in mining activities has come with frequent and increasingly violent attacks against anti-mining activists and environmental defenders.
The recent deluge delivers a chilling warning about the climate crisis. Worse, 9 years after Ondoy, the capital region's perennial vulnerability to extreme rainfall remains.
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With so much biodiversity and unique ecosystems holding economically valuable natural resources, Asia is an alarming hotspot of biodiversity loss.
Part of groundwork for tyranny? The Church has historically played a role in the people’s struggle against tyranny and dictatorship.
“As much as you, migrant workers all around the world are dreaming of coming back home with your families, we share with you our dreams, for our right to education, right to self-determination, a democratic government, and a just society.”
'Duterte’s continuing diatribes against mining oligarchs and other environmental plunderers should lead to the investigation of corporate interests that have benefited from militarization.'
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