British Mining Out of the Philippines!

Photo by Mark Saludes/LiCAS News

Timeline: British Mining in Nueva Vizcaya

Click below to see what happened

    • Aug 2022 – Exploration application submitted by Woggle Corporation

    • Dec 2023 – Permit application publicly posted and certified

    • July 2024 – Consultation meeting recorded by local officials

    • Apr 2025 – Metals Exploration briefs investors on Philippine expansion

    • June–July 2025 – Exploration activity intensifies; allegations of unpermitted tree clearing

    • 4 Aug 2025 – Government grants exploration permit

    • 6 Aug 2025 – Company announces active survey and drilling programme

    • 8 Aug 2025 – Local communities formally notified

    • Mid–Aug 2025 –

      • Residents challenge consultation process as illegitimate

      • Community meetings draw strong opposition

      • Religious groups and civil society speak out

      • Provincial and municipal officials call for permit cancellation and investigation

    • Late Aug 2025 –

      • Barangay council rejects consultation certification and moves toward a mining moratorium

      • Opposition across Nueva Vizcaya intensifies

    • 2 Sept 2025 – Company confirms ongoing exploration to investors

    • 17 Sept 2025 – Communities establish first barricade

    • Oct 2025 –

      • Anti-mining resolutions passed by local governments

      • Court issues restraining orders against community barricades

      • 17 Oct – Barricades dismantled and arrests made

      • Exploration continues despite widespread opposition

    • Nov 2025 –

      • Petition filed to cancel exploration permit

      • Communities block mining equipment and operations

      • Human chain protests take place

    • Dec 2025 –

      • Dispute escalated to national government

      • Calls for cease-and-desist order

      • Residents report harassment, property damage, and illegal activities

      • Company signals project uncertainty in investor update

    • Jan 2026 – Courts uphold orders against protesters

    • 13 Jan 2026 – Barricades partially dismantled by state forces

    • 23 Jan 2026 –

      • Over 300 police and SWAT deployed

      • Violent dispersal of barricade

      • Multiple arrests, including Indigenous women

    • 26 Jan 2026 – Solidarity protest held in London

    • 5 Feb 2026 – Government orders temporary suspension of exploration permit

    • Feb 2026 –

      • Company admits project faces major political obstacles

      • Reports of continued activity despite suspension

      • Protesters face legal action for re-establishing barricades

    • March 2026 –

      • Company agrees to withdraw equipment and rehabilitate site

      • Permit cancellation still pending

    • Communities remain on alert

    • Mining permits still active

    • Resistance continues

Learn more

The British Mining Out of the Philippines (BMOP) campaign is building international solidarity with communities in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, as they resist destructive mining backed by UK capital.

What’s happening in Nueva Vizcaya?

In 2025, Woggle Corporation, owned by London-listed Metals Exploration PLC, secured an exploration permit covering more than 3,100 hectares in Dupax del Norte.

This region is a vital agricultural zone and watershed, supplying water to much of northern Luzon. Communities depend on this land for farming, food security, and survival.

The company’s goal is to expand operations and extend the life of its existing Runruno gold-molybdenum mine.

But residents are clear: this project threatens their land, livelihoods, and future.

People’s resistance

Indigenous peoples, farmers, church leaders, and local officials have rejected the exploration, citing threats to land, livelihoods, and water security. Warning that any new mining would silt rivers and endanger irrigation and drinking water.

Residents were excluded from meaningful decision-making, and processes failed to meet the standard of free, prior, and informed consent. Barangay Oyao and nearby villages report that Woggle Corporation carried out so-called “consultations” without genuine participation.

Since mid-2025, communities in Dupax del Norte have organised to defend their land.

  • Villagers formed human barricades to stop mining entry

  • Farmers, Indigenous leaders, and church groups mobilised in opposition

  • Communities physically blocked exploration activities

In September 2025, residents established a permanent barricade to prevent mining equipment from entering their territory.

On 23 January 2026, that barricade was violently dismantled.

More than 300 police and SWAT personnel, alongside company representatives, dispersed the protest and arrested several land defenders, six of them Indigenous women.

This is part of a pattern of intimidation, criminalisation, and the use of state forces to secure corporate interests.

Despite a temporary suspension of Woggle Corporation’s permit in February 2026, reports indicate ongoing violations and continued threats to communities.

Why it matters!

Metals Exploration PLC is listed in London and backed by British investors, including billionaire and Reform Treasurer Nick Candy, its largest shareholder.

British capital and regulation reach far beyond national borders. When UK-listed companies are tied to human-rights or environmental abuses overseas, the British state and investors share responsibility. The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in Asia for environmental activists and this case echoes other Global South struggles where extractive projects—marketed as “green” or “sustainable”—mask climate imperialism and militarised development.

Stop British Mining Expansion.

Stand with Nueva Vizcaya.

Communities in Dupax del Norte are resisting, but they cannot do it alone.

You can help:

  • Support the BMOP campaign

  • Join protests and actions in the UK

  • Pressure Metals Exploration and its investors

  • Amplify voices in the Philippines

We hold regular meetings in Central London where you can join and contribute to one of our working groups, including:

  • Research

  • Communications

  • Outreach

Individuals and organisations can actively participate in solidarity efforts by:

  • Organising your own events like film screenings, letter-writing campaigns, or creating campaign props

  • Taking part in ICHRP events and activities and helping spread the word within your networks

  • Writing, posting, and sharing about the campaign to raise awareness

Additionally, we offer opportunities for those interested in solidarity visits to the Philippines to engage in people-to-people solidarity with the People’s Barricade.