Katribu condemns court order to arrest protesters at dupax barricade

We strongly condemn the order of the Nueva Vizcaya Regional Trial Court Branch 30 directing the arrest of protesters who formed a peaceful human barricade along Keon Barangay Road in Dupax del Norte. This order, issued on 19 January by Judge Paul Attolba Jr., has the effect of criminalizing legitimate dissent and weaponizing the law to protect the interests of Woogle Corp. at the expense of the people.

We stand firmly with the people of Dupax del Norte in their collective defense of their land, livelihood, and future. The barricade is a valid exercise of the people’s constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, free expression, and the duty to protect the country’s patrimony. The defense of our mineral resources for genuine national development and for the benefit of the Filipino people, not for corporate plunder and extractive projects that harm communities and the environment, is a legitimate and principled act of civic participation, not a crime.

Suppressing communities who stand up for their land, livelihood, and a healthy environment, while deploying state forces to clear the way for mining operations, is a clear violation of people’s rights and an affront to environmental justice and self-determination.

We call for the immediate lifting of the arrest order, an end to the harassment and repression of protesters, and full respect for the people’s right to protect the environment, the nation’s patrimony, and the future of their communities. We stand with the people of Dupax del Norte in their just struggle against mining plunder and state repression.

Reference: Beverly Longid, national convener