The Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP) stands in unwavering solidarity with the people and indigenous peoples and communities of Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya. We vehemently condemn the violent dispersal on January 23, 2026, and the state’s move to dismantle the community barricades protecting the natural and vital water sources in the province.

We denounce the actions of the Regional Trial Court Branch 30, presided by Judge Paul R. Attolba Jr., which authorized the arrest of residents, branding their legitimate defense of ancestral lands as “disobedience.” This order exposes how the legal system is being weaponized to dismantle the human barricades—the community’s last line of defense—against the entry of Woggle Mining Corporation, a UK-based subsidiary of Metals Exploration Inc. and affiliated with FCF Minerals Corporation.

The protection of environmental defenders and the preservation of ancestral domains are supposed to be the solemn duty of the State and its law enforcement agencies. By acting in favor of a mining corporation, the government acts contrary to the anti-corruption and environmental plunder rhetoric it projects to the world.

This is a betrayal. When the state uses its power to facilitate the plunder of our natural resources instead of guarding them, it forfeits its moral authority to lead.

AMKP asserts that the struggle in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, is a vital thread in the national movement against environmental plunder and corruption. From the ancestral ridges and reefs of the Bangsamoro to the towering peaks of the Sierra Madre, we stand united: our heritage is not for sale.

The ecology of our archipelago is one. When the mountains of Nueva Vizcaya are scarred, the lifeblood of our northern plains is poisoned. This exploration is merely a prelude to large-scale extraction that threatens the Upper Magat Watershed, a vital irrigation source for the entire region. When the ancestral lands of the Bangsamoro are exploited, the sovereignty of our southern seas is weakened. Whether in the lush highlands of Luzon or the rich waters of Mindanao, our future is non-negotiable!

WE DENOUNCE:
– The Judicial Weaponization of Plunder: The use of court orders to crush peaceful resistance. The law should be a shield for the people, not a spear for corporations.

– The Betrayal of Indigenous Rights: Despite the lack of genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), the state has prioritized a foreign mining subsidiary over the Indigenous communities.

– State-Backed Intimidation: The deployment of over 300 police personnel to harass and arrest unarmed farmers, elders, and defenders. The formation of human barricades is not an act of defiance against justice, but a defense of human and ecological.

OUR DEMANDS:

– We demand the immediate and unconditional release of the “Dupax del Norte 7”: lorentino “Tinong” Daynos II (49), Kagawad Krislyn Pocday (35), Adela Modi (52), Analiza Balliao (39), Amelia Rabino (51), Janet Macari (49), and Sonnette Bullecer (23).

– We call on the DENR and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to immediately cancel Exploration Permit No. EP-000030-II (covering 3,102 hectares in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya).

– We urge the national government to honor the resolutions of the Sangguniang Bayan and Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Nueva Vizcaya, and the declarations of the Bugkalot tribe which have clearly stated: Mining is not welcome.

– Repeal of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and Enact the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB). Simultaneously, we call for a national moratorium on all mining operations and permits to allow for comprehensive, independent fiscal and environmental audits.

– The government must invest and support the restoration and protection of the forests and natural resources including the development of an ecological local economic industrialization.

The barricades in Sitio Keon may have been physically dismantled, but the resolve of the people remains unshaken. From the ridges to the reefs, we will continue to stand.

We call on all human rights and environmental defenders worldwide to stand in solidarity with the Dupax del Norte resistance.

The defense of the environment, ancestral domain, and human rights is not a crime!

IPAMANA, HUWAG IPAMINA! DEFEND THE LAND! DEFEND OUR FUTURE!

Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)
January 25, 2026
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AMKP is a tri-people grassroots human rights alliance in the provinces of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato.
https://www.philippine-resources.com/articles/2025/8/mgb-grants-exploration-permit-for-woggle-corporation-s-dupax-project

https://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/1261897

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2172388/environmentalists-slam-arrest-order-against-anti-mining-protesters

Read: https://www.facebook.com/100064868162976/posts/pfbid0EpYVu315kpYz5vpMsPTsdFB1QE75MMGmzGFewiAUZpKtBuxwU1HoX271GJfqDvoUl/