Stop the Harassment of Land Defenders in Nueva Vizcaya
Statement of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) Britain
ICHRP Britain stands with the community of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, where a mounting campaign of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is targeting the lawyers, Indigenous leaders and community members who have supported the People's Barricades against North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC). Since June 2026, cyber-libel and civil complaints have been filed against two lawyers, an Indigenous community leader, and, until a court dismissed the case, a bishop and a priest connected to the community's anti-mining advocacy.
NLMRC holds an exploration permit covering 4,456 hectares across eight barangays in Kasibu, granted in June 2025 despite residents' objections. Indigenous Bugkalot/Ilongot communities say the permit area overlaps their ancestral domain and threatens their water sources and livelihoods, and that the company's proof of consultation relied on attendance sheets from an unrelated community activity. Since May 2026, residents have maintained seven barricades across the affected barangays to block drilling equipment, backed by Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao of the Diocese of Bayombong and other Church leaders offering pastoral support.
NLMRC and its allies responded with a wave of litigation. A civil case for forcible entry was filed against Bishop Mangalinao, Fr. Christian Dumangeng and community members over the barricades; the Kasibu Municipal Trial Court dismissed it on 24 June 2026. Rather than ending there, the pattern escalated: on 2 July 2026, NLMRC filed criminal cyber-libel complaints against the two lawyers representing the Kasibu communities, Atty. Fidel Santos and Atty. Edgardo "Edu" Balgos, lodged in Isabela province, a four-hour drive from where the lawyers are based. Community leaders Florentino Daynos II and Anthony Glenn Guingayan Sr. also face cyber-libel complaints, as does Zesirie Enggo, a 26-year-old Bugkalot tribeswoman and convenor of the Kasibu Inter-Tribal Response towards Ecological Development (KIRED), along with fellow barricade advocate Lei Jin Dugay.
Human Rights Watch has documented at least 21 cases brought by NLMRC and its allies against Kasibu's anti-mining leaders and their counsel, calling the pattern a textbook SLAPP campaign designed "to silence, intimidate, and ultimately deter public participation." Naming lawyers alongside the community members they represent is a deliberate tactic: it strips defenders of the legal support they depend on and creates a chilling effect that discourages others from coming forward.
Kasibu's struggle echoes that of neighbouring Dupax del Norte, where residents have resisted Woggle Corporation, a subsidiary of the London-listed Metals Exploration PLC. Florentino Daynos II, who supports both communities, was arrested again on 3 August 2026 in Dupax del Norte on charges of grave threat and coercion — by the Environmental Defenders Congress' count, the fourth such charge filed against him over his opposition to mining projects in the province. He was released on bail the following day.
ICHRP Britain's connection to this community is a personal one: two of our delegates, joined an International Solidarity Mission to the Philippines, travelled to Nueva Vizcaya to observe the resistance firsthand, speaking directly with Florentino and with Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao. That visit is part of why ICHRP Britain, together with London-Philippine Solidarity, launched the British Mining Out of the Philippines (BMOP) campaign calling for an end to British mining operations that threaten Philippine communities' land and livelihoods.
ICHRP Britain calls for:
The immediate withdrawal of all cyber-libel and other SLAPP complaints filed against Atty. Fidel Santos, Atty. Edgardo Balgos, Florentino Daynos II, Anthony Glenn Guingayan Sr., Zesirie Enggo and Lei Jin Dugay
An end to all forms of judicial harassment, intimidation and surveillance against Indigenous communities, environmental defenders and their legal counsel in Kasibu and Dupax del Norte
An independent review of how NLMRC's exploration permit and Certificate of Non-Overlap were granted, and a genuine Free, Prior and Informed Consent process with affected communities
NLMRC and Woggle Corporation/Metals Exploration PLC, together with Metals Exploration's investors, to suspend exploration activity while these disputes are resolved
The Philippine Congress to revive and pass anti-SLAPP legislation, such as House Bill No. 5592, to allow early dismissal of retaliatory suits
UK-based human rights and solidarity organisations to raise this case with Metals Exploration PLC, its investors and the relevant UK authorities
We echo the call from allied organisers on the ground: the more organisations that speak out, the harder this is to ignore. We urge other UK and international organisations to issue their own statements of solidarity.
Stand with Kasibu and Dupax del Norte! Drop the charges! Stop the harassment!
References
Human Rights Watch. (2026, July 23). Philippines: Rights Advocates in Mining Areas Face Prosecution. https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/23/philippines-rights-advocates-in-mining-areas-face-prosecution
Bulatlat. (2026, August 7). Environment groups alarmed over cyberlibel raps vs anti-mining advocates. https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/08/07/environment-groups-alarmed-over-cyberlibel-raps-vs-anti-mining-advocates/
Bulatlat. (2026, August 2). Indigenous community rising up against mining in Nueva Vizcaya. https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/08/02/indigenous-community-rising-up-against-mining-in-nueva-vizcaya/
Bulatlat. (2026, July 15). Mining firm files cyberlibel vs anti-mining residents' lawyer. https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/07/15/mining-firm-files-cyberlibel-vs-anti-mining-residents-lawyer/
Bulatlat. (2026, June 30, updated July 1). Court dismisses forcible entry case vs Bayombong bishop, anti-mining advocates. https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/06/30/court-dismisses-forcible-entry-case-vs-bayombong-bishop-anti-mining-advocates/
AlterMidya. (2026, January 26). Arrests of anti-mining residents in Dupax del Norte draw condemnation. https://www.altermidya.net/arrests-of-anti-mining-residents-in-dupax-del-norte-draw-condemnation/
Alyansa Tigil Mina. (2026, June 22). ATM condemns SLAPP suit against bishop, priest and anti-mining barricade leaders. https://www.alyansatigilmina.net/single-post/atm-condemns-slapp-suit-against-bishop-priest-and-anti-mining-barricade-leaders
CBCP News. (2026, June 22). Bishop sued over anti-mining campaign says Church must remain voice for vulnerable. https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/bishop-sued-over-anti-mining-campaign-says-church-must-remain-voice-for-vulnerable/