By Shan Kenshin Ecaldre
Bulatlat.com
Cabuyao City, Laguna — Before sunrise, residents of Barangay Bitnong in Dupax del Norte stood quietly at the barricade they had guarded for months.
Bamboo poles, scrap wood, and tarpaulins are simple materials turned into symbols of resistance. These now face dismantling under a writ of preliminary injunction enforced by the police in favor of Woggle Mining Corporation.
For the people of Dupax, the order is not just a legal directive. It is the latest challenge that they had to face in a long history of struggle against large-scale mining that threatens their land, livelihood, and future.
Resistance in Nueva Vizcaya
Mining is not new in this upland province, nor is resistance. Communities in Dupax have long watched what happened in neighboring Kasibu town where mining operations in Didipio left rivers polluted, farms damaged, and villages divided. That memory shapes today’s struggle.
Woggle Mining Corporation, a UK-based subsidiary of Metals Exploration Inc., was granted an exploration permit by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Mines and Geosciences Bureau in August 2025. Residents said that the permit came without genuine consultation, prompting them to erect a barricade on September 17, 2025 to block the entry of mining personnel.
Church vs mining
As tensions escalated, the Diocese of Bayombong stepped in. On January 9, the bishop appealed to the provincial governor of Nueva Vizcaya and the mayor of Dupax del Norte to issue a cease and desist order against Woggle’s exploration activities.
In his letter, the bishop said that stopping operations would allow authorities to investigate whether legal requirements, particularly consultation and community approval, were properly followed while preventing further conflict and possible human rights violations.
The appeal was also sent to members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Sangguniang Bayan, calling on them to uphold their mandate to protect the common good.
Pro-corporation?
The Bambang Regional Trial Court’s injunction ordering the dismantling of the Bitnong barricade drew sharp criticism from environmental and human rights groups. Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment said that the ruling criminalizes community dissent while favoring a foreign mining firm.
The same court branch, critics noted, previously denied requests for environmental protection against OceanaGold Philippines Inc., reinforcing fears that legal remedies are increasingly inaccessible to affected communities.
“What we are seeing is the law being used as a weapon of plunder,” Kalikasan said, warning that mining threatens more than 3,000 hectares of land rich in gold and copper, affecting at least five barangays in Dupax.
Climate justice
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines linked the situation in Dupax to the broader climate and ecological crisis, arguing that the Mining Act of 1995 enables foreign corporations to exploit Philippine resources at the expense of local communities.
They warned that mining exploration already endangers the people’s right to housing and to a healthy environment, long before any actual extraction begins.
“The climate crisis is rooted in historical injustices,” the group said, “and mining is one of its most visible forms.”
Far from over
As of this writing, local officials have yet to issue a public response to the bishop’s call for a cease and desist order. Meanwhile, uncertainty hangs over Barangay Bitnong as residents brace for the possible removal of their barricade.
For them, the fight against Woggle Mining Corporation is not just about one permit or one court order. It is about defending land they have tilled for generations, protecting rivers that sustain their lives, and refusing to become another cautionary tale of mining in Nueva Vizcaya.
Whether the barricades fall or stand, residents stressed that their resistance will continue, echoing a long tradition in Dupax of choosing land and life over profit. (RTS, DAA)
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