Uphold the People’s Barricades! Defend our Land, Life, and Rights!

KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas condemns the use of courts and state forces to suppress the people’s resistance and facilitate the entry of destructive mining operations into their communities.

On August 20, 2026, the Regional Trial Court, Branch 64, in Abatan, Buguias, Benguet issued a Writ of Preliminary Injunction ordering the removal of the Mankayan people's barricade to allow CMDC equipment and personnel to enter. On September 9, elements of both local and regional police forces supported the enforcement of the order.

KATRIBU stands with the people of Guinaoang and Bulalacao in Mankayan, Benguet, as they collectively defend their communities against the operation of Crescent Mining and Development Corporation (CMDC).

Previously, on July 10, 2026, the same court issued a 72-hr Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in favor of CMDC and against the barricading residents.

The people of Mankayan have maintained their barricades since October last year, standing firm in defense of their farmlands, watersheds, and ways of life. Their resolve remains strong as the mining company and state forces work hand-in-hand to protect their plunderous interests at the expense of Indigenous communities.

The court-ordered removal of the Mankayan barricade, together with the dismantling of barricades in Dupax and Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, exposes how the Marcos government is using courts and state forces to clear the way for mining and crush people’s resistance.

This is part of the aggressive implementation of Executive Order No. 122 (EO 122), which opens around 9 million hectares of the country to mining and mineral exploration, with more than half overlapping with Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral lands. It puts our communities, forests, watersheds, farms, and ways of life in the crosshairs of mining corporations.

We call for the immediate halt to CMDC’s entry into Mankayan and an end to the use of state forces to suppress legitimate community resistance.

KATRIBU stands with the people of Mankayan and all resisting communities. We demand that the Marcos government respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including our right to self-determination, free, prior informed consent, and the right to defend our ancestral lands.

Our ancestral lands are not for sale. Our communities are not obstacles. Our barricades are acts of defense and resistance.

Reference:

Beverly Longid

National Convener,

KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas