Stand with the people’s barricade in Kasibu! No to destructive mining!

KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas expresses its strongest solidarity with the residents of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, who have courageously mounted a barricade to resist the mineral exploration activities of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC). Their collective action is a legitimate assertion of their rights and a necessary defense of their land, livelihood, and resources against corporate mining expansion.

The 2025 approval by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) of NLMRC’s exploration permit, covering 4,456 hectares across six barangays in Kasibu, exposes how the Marcos Jr. government continues to prioritize corporate mining interests over the rights and welfare of communities.

Added to this burden is the silence and inaction of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), mandated to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights, further reflecting the failure of state institutions to protect communities resisting destructive projects. Despite strong opposition from residents, drilling operations have already begun, threatening farms, water sources, forests, and the survival of affected communities. Kasibu, in particular, is home to displaced Ifugao from the Cordillera, who have left their ancestral lands in search of greener pastures due to the encroachment of destructive projects.

Nueva Vizcaya itself stands as a living testament to the devastation caused by large-scale foreign and corporate mining operations. From the destructive operations of OceanaGold Philippines Inc. in Didipio, to the long-standing issues linked to the Woggle mining project in Dupax del Norte, and the operations of FCF Minerals Corporation in Runruno, communities have suffered displacement, environmental destruction, and intensified militarization in defense of corporate interests.

KATRIBU reiterates its call to junk the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, a policy that has enabled the large-scale entry of foreign and corporate mining operations into the country. We call on the DENR and all concerned government agencies to immediately halt the exploration activities of NLMRC and respect the rights and opposition of the people of Kasibu. The Marcos Jr. administration must also be held accountable for his aggressive push for mining operations in the country, especially in communities of Indigenous Peoples. He must be exposed for his deceptive endorsement of renewable energy that seeks not to improve the country’s state, but to simultaneously strengthen mining projects that serve only his, his cronies’, and foreign corporations’ interests. 

We call on the public, environmental defenders, and human rights advocates to intensify support for communities resisting mining plunder. The struggle of Kasibu is part of the broader fight against land grabbing, corporate mining, and state neglect, and we must unite to resist!

Reference: Funa-ay Claver, Secretary General