Dupax mining: Environmentalists slam arrest order vs protesters
MANILA, Philippines — Environmentalists have denounced a court order directing authorities to arrest protesters who continue to block a mining company from conducting exploration activities in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya.
In an order dated Jan. 19, the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 in Bambang reiterated its directive to fully enforce an existing writ of preliminary injunction, which requires the dismantling of the people’s barricade blocking the entry of mining equipment of Woggle Corporation, covered by a valid exploration permit.
READ: Court orders IDs, arrests of protesters blocking Dupax mining
Following the court order, members of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (KPNE) staged a protest in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) central office in Quezon City on Friday to denounce “the agency’s complicity in the impending full-scale mining operations.”
KPNE spokesperson Jonila Castro stressed that the barricade is “not illegal,” describing it as “a people’s defense against plunder, destruction, and dispossession.”
“What is happening in Dupax Del Norte is a clear case of state-backed corporate plunder,” she said.
“While we are holding this protest at the DENR today, the people of Dupax Del Norte are on the ground defending the barricade and facing the threat of its violent dismantling,” she added.
7 arrested
The KPNE said anti-mining leader Florentino Daynos and six other individuals protesting the Dupax exploration activities have already been arrested following the court order.
“The four [others] were from the barricade, while the other two actually fainted and were given medical attention. Later, they were sent straight to medical procedures before being jailed,” KPNE deputy spokesperson Cathleen de Guzman said in a Viber message to INQUIRER.
“This is overkill, considering the number of police deployed to dismantle the barricade and the violent dispersal carried out… Who is the judge and these police really serving? It is obvious they are not serving the people of Dupax del Norte,” de Guzman added.
Meanwhile, the Nueva Vizcaya Police Provincial Office (NVPPO) asserted in a statement that the police officers solely acted in accordance with the court’s order, saying that they actually implemented “maximum tolerance.”
“Our actions are anchored entirely on lawful court orders. The PNP (Philippine National Police) did not initiate this enforcement; we merely assisted the court in the execution of its writ,” said NVPPO provincial director Col. Paul Bometivo.
“We observed maximum tolerance at all times. There was no use of unnecessary force, and the situation was resolved peacefully. Our priority is to maintain public order while fully respecting constitutional rights and human dignity,” he also said.
‘Not criminals’
Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, who recently visited the barricade in Dupax del Norte, emphasized that the residents resisting the mining activity “are not criminals” but “defenders of the land and future generations.”
“We filed a House Resolution precisely to support the barricade and call attention to the abuses surrounding Woggle’s operations. What we are seeing is the use of courts and police to silence legitimate, collective resistance,” the lawmaker from Makabayan bloc added.
Former Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate also called for the unconditional release of the arrested individuals.
He said the court order “is part of a systematic pattern of escalating harassment, intimidation, and human rights violations against communities who dare to oppose mining projects that threaten their lands and livelihoods.”
Zarate also urged the DENR to immediately revoke Woggle’s exploration permit and halt all mining-related activities in Dupax del Norte.
“The barricade is a symbol of the communities’ fight against the destruction of their environment and livelihoods. The real criminals here are not the residents defending their communities, but the mining corporations and the government officials enabling the plunder of our natural resources,” he emphasized.
“How long will the government allow our natural resources to be treated as business while citizens suffer and rise up just to protect their land? The people of Dupax del Norte deserve justice, not jail cells,” Zarate said.
The INQUIRER reached out to DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla about the issue, but he has yet to respond to the query. /mcm /das
