Last August 11, at 10:30 PM, members of local organizations forming the People’s Barricade in Pacquetm, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya reported the arrival of more than five members of the Philippine National Police, including the chief of the Kasibu Municipal Police Station.  This marks the sixth consecutive day of regular patrolling by armed PNP forces around the community barricade.

This occurred shortly after local residents stationed at the barricade blocked three personnel from the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC) who attempted to enter the exploration site, claiming they were there to “collect their salaries.” Within 15 minutes of the NLMRC personnel withdrawing, PNP forces arrived as escorts, positioning themselves less than five meters from the company’s vehicle. Five additional PNP officers followed soon after.

The Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines (CEC) joins the residents of Nueva Vizcaya in asserting that there is no basis for police or military presence and patrols around the community barricade against mining. Blocking destructive, large-scale mining operations to defend land, livelihoods, and the environment is entirely legitimate and just. The continued presence of state forces in the area of the people’s barricade is a baseless attempt to intimidate and instill fear in environmental defenders—a clear pattern of harassment seen against land and environmental defenders in the Philippines, which remains the most dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders. 

We join the call of the People’s Barricade in Nueva Vizcaya to put a stop to the continuing harassment and intimidation by state forces! Stop the attacks against environmental defenders! 

#NLMRCLayas #DefendTheDefenders #NoToLargeScaleMining #DefendNuevaVizcaya