30/08/2026
[URGENT ALERT] Release the Kasibu 11! Stop the attacks on Indigenous Peoples and environmental defenders opposing mining in Nueva Vizcaya!
The Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED) stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples and local communities of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines, who are defending their lands, livelihoods, water sources, and environment from the mining exploration activities of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC).
APNED strongly condemns the arrest of 11 community members at the people’s barricade in Barangay Paquet on 28 August 2026. We call for their immediate release and urge fellow environmental defenders, human rights organizations, and concerned individuals to support both the arrested residents and the communities sustaining the barricade.
On 28 August, NLMRC again attempted to bring crude oil into its exploration area for its drilling operations. Police personnel arrived at the barricade reportedly to assist the entry of the company’s fuel. During the confrontation, 11 community members were arrested. Their lawyers confirmed the final number of those arrested on 29 August.
Instead of protecting the communities and addressing their legitimate concerns, the police used their authority to facilitate the company’s activities and arrest residents defending their lands and natural resources.
The barricade has been maintained by residents since May 2026 to prevent NLMRC from bringing fuel and other supplies into the area. NLMRC holds an exploration permit covering approximately 4,456 hectares (approximately 11,011 acres) across eight barangays in Kasibu for gold, copper, and associated minerals.
The affected communities oppose the project because they allege that no genuine consultation was undertaken before exploration activities began. They fear that drilling and the possible expansion of mining operations will destroy farms, forests, watersheds, and water sources; undermine their livelihoods; and encroach upon lands used and claimed by Indigenous communities.
The barricade is therefore a legitimate exercise of the communities’ rights to defend their land, environment, livelihoods, and collective future.
The arrest of the Kasibu 11 is not an isolated incident. It is the latest in successive waves of attacks against the people’s barricade and its supporters.
In May and June, a forcible-entry case was pursued against community residents, Bayombong Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao, and Fr. Christian Dumangeng in connection with the barricade. The court dismissed the case on 24 June.
NLMRC also filed cyberlibel complaints against community leader and environmental defender Leijin “Lei Jin” Dugay and people’s lawyers Atty. Fidel Santos and Atty. Edgardo Balgos over statements questioning the project’s environmental impacts, consultations, and compliance with exploration-permit requirements. These cases threaten freedom of expression and the communities’ access to legal assistance.
On 5 August, approximately 300 mostly armed police personnel aboard around 30 vehicles arrived at the Paquet barricade and demanded its removal. In the following days, armed police repeatedly passed through the area, monitored residents, and recorded them on video. Police personnel were reportedly stationed in barangay halls, while military personnel were also observed in an affected community.
On 19 August, police arrested Indigenous community members Leijin Dugay, June Fataccad, and Donny Dugay during another attempt to bring crude oil into the exploration area. They were subsequently charged with grave coercion and resistance and disobedience to persons in authority.
Nine days later, another 11 community members were arrested as police again assisted an attempt to bring fuel into the area.
This progression—from lawsuits and surveillance to mass police deployment and successive arrests—shows a deliberate pattern of intimidation and criminalization intended to weaken the communities’ resistance and enable the mining company to proceed.
The attacks in Kasibu reflect a broader pattern under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in which government institutions and security forces are mobilized against communities resisting destructive projects while corporate interests are prioritized over human rights and environmental protection. The Philippines remains the most dangerous country in Asia for land and environmental defenders.
The situation in Kasibu is also emblematic of the dangers faced by environmental defenders protecting natural resources from mining amid rising global demand for critical and transition minerals. This demand must not be used to justify the plunder of Indigenous territories, destruction of ecosystems, displacement of communities, or repression of those who resist. No energy transition can be considered just when its minerals are extracted through coercion, criminalization, and the violation of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ rights.
APNED calls on the Philippine government to:
Immediately release the 11 community members arrested on 28 August;
Drop all charges against the Kasibu 11 and the three defenders arrested on 19 August;
- Withdraw the cyberlibel complaints and other retaliatory cases against community leaders, lawyers, religious leaders, and supporters of the barricade;
- End the surveillance, intimidation, arrests, and deployment of police and military personnel against the affected communities;
- Prevent the violent dispersal or dismantling of the people’s barricade;
- Suspend NLMRC’s exploration activities pending an independent investigation and genuine consultation with all affected communities;
- Respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their ancestral lands, self-determination, meaningful participation, and free, prior and informed consent; and
- Investigate and ensure accountability and justice for all human rights violations committed in connection with NLMRC’s exploration project.
- We call upon fellow environmental defenders, APNED members and partners, human rights organizations, civil society groups, journalists, and concerned individuals across Asia and the Pacific to stand with the people of Kasibu.
- We encourage our members and allies to:
- Release solidarity statements calling for the release of the Kasibu 11;
- Share verified alerts and social media posts about the arrests;
- Reach out to local, national, and international media organizations and urge them to cover the situation;
- Call on Philippine authorities to end the attacks against the barricade and its supporters; and
- Contribute to efforts to raise funds for bail, legal assistance, and the immediate needs of the arrested defenders and their families through verified community support channels.
At a time when governments—despite their responsibility to protect their citizens and uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment—are themselves attacking communities and environmental defenders, our unity is our strength in pushing back.
An attack against one environmental defender is an attack against all of us. The people of Kasibu are not criminals. They are defending the land, water, and natural resources on which their communities and future generations depend.
Release the Kasibu 11!
Drop all charges against the defenders!
Stop the attacks on the people’s barricade!
Defend Indigenous lands, livelihoods, and natural resources!
Defend the defenders!
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