Human Rights Watch urged Philippine authorities dropped charges against 11 indigenous rights protesters on Thursday arrested August 28 during a police operation to clear an anti-mining barricade in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.
The dispute centers on North Luzon Mineral Resources Corp.’s exploration permit. (NLMRC) and competing claims regarding land rights and advice. The company said so consulted two communities twice in March 2024 and received certification from the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples that the approval area does not overlap with the ancestral territory. Residents who oppose the project say they have a land ownership certificate that confirms their rights as beneficiaries of the agrarian reform. They have asked the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to revoke the permit on the grounds that affected communities were not adequately consulted.
Members of the Bugkalot/Ilangot and other indigenous communities had maintained the barricade since May to oppose the NLMRC’s mineral exploration activities.
Prosecutors charged the protesters with aggravated coercion under Article 286 and resistance and disobedience under Article 151 Revised Penal Code of the Philippines. The crimes carry prison sentences of up to six months.
The arrests came amid long-standing tensions between indigenous communities, police and mining operations in Nueva Vizcaya. In 2020 the The Human Rights Commission of the Philippines reported that police violently dismantled a barricade at an indigenous community in Didipio, injuring several people, and called for an investigation.
The 11 protesters were released on bail on September 1, but charges are still pending. Provincial and municipal officials have since negotiated a temporary agreement that will keep NLMRC personnel and equipment off-site while discussions continue.
