INDIGENOUS peoples and environmental and human-rights groups took their campaign against large-scale mining to the Philippine National Police headquarters on Thursday, denouncing what they described as police harassment, arrests and the filing of cases against communities resisting mining projects.
Around 30 protesters staged a demonstration outside Camp Crame in Quezon City led by Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE), with Indigenous groups including Katribu and Tignayan dagiti Agtutubo ti Kordilyera para iti Demokrasya ken Rang-ay (TAKDER).
The groups called on the PNP and the Marcos administration to investigate alleged human-rights violations against environmental defenders and Indigenous communities opposing mining operations.
Among the cases raised during the protest was the continuing dispute in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, where Indigenous residents and farmers have maintained a barricade against the exploration activities of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corp. (NLMRC).
Residents in Barangay Paquet have been opposing the entry of fuel and other supplies intended for the company’s mineral exploration activities, citing concerns over the possible effects of mining on their farms, water sources and ancestral lands.
The dispute came to a head on August 28 when police dispersed a barricade and arrested 11 protesters who had sought to prevent vehicles carrying fuel and supplies from entering the area.
The 11 were charged with grave coercion and resistance and disobedience to a person in authority. They were released on bail on September 1.
Human Rights Watch said the protesters included members of Indigenous communities and raised concerns over the police action during the dispersal.
Police, however, said they responded to a 911 call reporting that three vehicles carrying fuel and supplies were being prevented from passing through the barricade.
Police Regional Office 2 said officers initially attempted to resolve the standoff through dialogue and repeatedly asked protesters to clear the road, which local authorities had certified as a public road.
Police said they intervened only after efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully failed and some protesters allegedly continued to resist.
Environmental groups dispute the police account and have accused authorities of using law enforcement to suppress community opposition to mining.
Kalikasan PNE and Indigenous groups participating in Thursday’s Camp Crame protest called for an end to what they described as the criminalization of environmental and Indigenous-rights advocates and demanded accountability for alleged abuses against mining-affected communities.
The protesters also called for greater protection of Indigenous peoples’ rights to their ancestral lands and for communities to have a meaningful say in projects affecting their territories.