PH Mining Hell Week 2025: 𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨

 

𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨

We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Nueva Vizcaya, Zamboanga del Sur and all minerals/resource-rich communities in the Philippines in defending their land, water, and future from the continuing onslaught of illegal and destructive mining. From Dupax to Dumingag, the narrative is painfully familiar: mountains stripped bare, rivers silted and poisoned, Indigenous territories encroached upon, and the lives of those who dare resist placed in peril.

 

We also strongly condemn the violent dispersal carried out by police forces against residents of Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, who had set up a peaceful barricade to protest the mining operations of Woggle Corporation. This act of violence is a clear example of the continuing criminalization of communities defending their land and livelihood against destructive mining. Instead of heeding the legitimate grievances of the people, the state responded with force and intimidation, a blatant sign that corporate interests are being prioritized over the rights of the people and the protection of the environment! 

 

The incident in Nueva Vizcaya indicates that the struggle of communities in Mindanao is not isolated; it is part of a nationwide fight for land, life, and ecological justice. Mindanao has long been treated as a mining frontier, a resource colony feeding the greed of corporations and corrupt politicians. Despite cease-and-desist orders and official investigations, illegal mining continues to thrive because the system itself allows it: weak enforcement, corruption in local and national offices, and the stranglehold of political dynasties that profit from plunder while pretending to promote “development.”

 

𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙉𝙎𝙄𝘽𝙇𝙀 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙄𝙎 𝘼 𝙈𝙔𝙏𝙃!

 

We must stop pretending that “responsible mining” exists in a country where communities are buried under landslides, rivers are poisoned, and forests are sacrificed for private gain.

 

In the past decade alone, hundreds of Filipinos have died from mining-related disasters – the Semirara coal collapse (2015), Itogon landslide (2018), Carmen Copper pit slide (2020), and the Masara landslide in Davao de Oro (2024). Each tragedy followed the same script: unsafe mining practices, ignored geohazard warnings, and a government too lenient or complicit toward big extractors. These are not accidents; they are crimes against people and the planet.

 

Now, even public money is being weaponized to deepen this destruction. The Maharlika Investment Fund, worth $150 million, has begun financing new mining ventures, including a $76 million loan for a copper-gold project in Kalinga. Funds that should have built schools, hospitals, and climate resilience are instead bankrolling extractive projects that erase forests, uproot Indigenous peoples, and pollute our future.

 

𝙋𝙐𝘽𝙇𝙄𝘾 𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙔 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙇𝘿 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙋𝘼𝙔 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙋𝙐𝘽𝙇𝙄𝘾 𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙂𝙀𝘿𝙔.

 

We demand transparency, accountability, and genuine development shaped by and with local communities, not another cycle of exploitation and disaster.

 

We stand with the Indigenous peoples, farmers, fisherfolk, and all environmental rights defenders who are courageously confronting mining companies, local elites, and political dynasties. The daily pickets, prayer rallies, and investigations have already forced the closure of several illegal tunnels: proof that collective action works, even in the face of intimidation and impunity.

 

But the struggle is far from over across Mindanao, mining expansion continues under the guise of “green development,” driven by global demand for nickel and copper for electric vehicles and batteries. Yet the promise of “responsible mining” rings hollow when communities continue to pay the price with their lives, land, and dignity.

 

We call on the national government and all concerned agencies to:

 

1. 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘡𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘳, 𝘕𝘶𝘦𝘷𝘢 𝘝𝘪𝘻𝘤𝘢𝘺𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘴;

 

2. 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴;

 

3. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦;

 

4. 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘻𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 “𝘕𝘖-𝘎𝘖” 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴;

 

5. 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘢, 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦-𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

 

No to mining, no to corruption, and no to dynastic plunder! Yes to life, justice, and the right of communities to shape their own future!

 

We echo the call to stop illegal and extractive industry! to defend our lands, our common home, and to demand that public money serve the people, not for plunder and be invested in destructive mining. Our solidarity is our strength, our resistance is our hope, and our land, our life, and our future are not for sale.

SIGNED

[1] Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (KILOSKA)

[2] Sumpay Mindanao

[3] Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates

[4] Kahugpongan sa mga Mag-uuma ug Mangingisda sa Zamboanga del Sur (KAMAGMASUR)

[5] Nagkahiusang Mag-uumang Organiko (NAMAO)

[6] Nagkahiusang Mag-uumang Organiko alang sa Kalambuan (NAMAO KA)

[7] Kababayen-an alang sa Kalambuan (KKK)

[8] Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)

[9] Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA)

[10] Alliance of TriPeople for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR)

[11] Task Force Bantay Kalikasan (TFBK)

[12] Panaghiusa sa Katawhan alang sa Pagpahiuli sa Lasang (PALASANG)

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