Community leaders from five anti-mining barricade sites gathered in Manila on Monday to demand the cancellation of mining permits they say threaten their land, water, and livelihoods.
The leaders joined the launch of Alyansa Tigil Mina’s (ATM) Mining Hell Week, bringing their local struggles to the capital and urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to act on their complaints.
“By coming to Manila, the leaders are essentially bringing their barricades to the city, hoping the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will urgently address their complaints and cancel existing mining permits,” said Jaybee Garganera, ATM national coordinator.
Brenie Morcilla, secretary-general of Unahin Natin Lagi and Diyos (UNLAD) in MacArthur, Leyte, said residents set up a barricade on Feb. 2 to block a cutter suction dredger from extracting black sand from agricultural lands.
“The MIPC’s decision to pull out the dredger is not enough since they can always resume their black sand mining operations. We want a permanent stop to mining, so the DENR must cancel the company’s permit,” Morcilla said.
In Romblon, Elizabeth Ibañez of Sibuyanons Against Mining said their group is still waiting for action on a petition filed in March 2025 seeking the cancellation of Altai Philippines Mining Corporation’s permit.
“It’s already one year since we filed our petition for cancellation, yet we have not heard any word from the DENR,” she said.
Florentino Daynos of the Dupax del Norte Environmental Defenders urged authorities to cancel the exploration permit granted to Woggle Corporation.
“These violations of the terms and conditions under Woggle’s permit are valid grounds for its cancellation. We challenge the DENR to file a case against Woggle and hold the company accountable for its violations,” he said.
Alongside the campaign launch, ATM presented its report, “UnderMining Rights: Mining-Induced Human Rights Violations and Environmental Destruction.”
Garganera said the report aims to surface human rights concerns faced by mining-affected communities and push authorities to address them.
