Environmental group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) has thrown its support behind a legal challenge seeking to nullify the renewal of OceanaGold’s mining agreement in Barangay Didipio, citing alleged violations of consultation and environmental standards.
“We fully support the petitioners’ demand to cancel OceanaGold’s renewed FTAA due to lack of prior public consultations,” said Jaybee Garganera, ATM national coordinator.
“It is unacceptable that government has renewed OceanaGold’s FTAA, when the company’s operations has been mired with human rights violations and environmental destruction,” he added.
The petition, filed on April 22, 2024, by the Diocese of Bayombong and other groups, urged the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to cancel the FTAA and order rehabilitation of the firm’s copper-gold mine.
The RTC dismissed the case on April 2, 2025, ruling the renewal was merely an extension of the original FTAA and did not violate consultation rules.
Petitioners have filed a motion for reconsideration. “At best, the concept of an ‘extension’ is legally recognized only within the confines of the exploration phases of a FTAA,” said Atty. Rolly Peoro of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center.
“Even this extension still needs to comply with the public consultation requirements set out by the Local Government Code,” he said.
