Nueva Vizcaya residents demand revocation of mining permit

MANILA, Philippines — Residents affected by mining in the municipalities of Kasibu and Dupax del Norte in Nueva Vizcaya, along with various groups, marched on Tuesday to the central offices of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City to demand the immediate revocation of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corp.’s (NLMRC) exploration permit. The permit granted on June 25, 2025 allows the mining company to explore for gold, copper and other minerals in approximately 4,456 hectares of land in Kasibu municipality. Community leaders, however, said the project endangers farms, water sources, homes and ancestral domains. They claim that it was approved without the genuine free, prior and informed consent of affected indigenous peoples. READ: Gov’t mining arm lauds MGB’s ‘big brother-small brother’ initiative The protesters included community members from Kasibu and Dupax del Norte, their legal representatives, church groups, the indigenous peoples alliance Katribu, the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE), the Kasibu Inter-Tribal Response Towards Ecological Development, and Kabataan partylist group. Outside the MGB and DENR offices, the protestors pointed spears at tarpaulins bearing the logos of the two government agencies, NLMRC and Woggle Corp. to symbolize their rejection of large-scale mining and the agencies they accused of enabling it. Environmental groups also linked the Kasibu campaign to broader antimining struggles in Nueva Vizcaya, saying that environmental defenders continue to face harassment and criminalization. Lawyer Fidel Santos of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said the protest is a formal reiteration of the communities’ demand for the government to revoke the NLMRC permit and uphold the rights of affected residents. READ: MGB temporarily stops mining firm’s activities in Nueva Vizcaya “DENR and MGB had granted permission for environmental destruction while defenders faced threats for protecting land and life,” said Cathleen de Guzman, Kalikasan PNE national coordinator. Kim Falyao, national coordinator of Bai Indigenous Women, maintained that mining activities in ancestral lands without genuine consent amount to dispossession, with those opposed subjected to Red-tagging and militarization. Church worker Leah Valencia of the Promotion of Church People’s Response said that faith-based groups continue to support indigenous communities, stressing that protecting the environment also means defending vulnerable communities. The groups vowed to continue legal and public campaigns until NLMRC’s exploration permit is revoked and “barricades could be lifted on the communities’ own terms.” Kasibu residents have been guarding barriers they put up to bar the mining company’s exploration activities. /cb