The Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) strongly condemns the recent violent dispersal of the peaceful community barricade in Barangay Paquet and the unjust arrest of the “Kasibu 11” land and environment defenders. We express our outrage over police brutality to enforce the entry of the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC) for its large-scale mineral exploration attempt. Peaceful resistance against encroaching extractive industries is a basic human right, not a crime.
For four months, the Indigenous Peoples and local farmers of Kasibu have stood at the frontlines, maintaining a barricade to defend their lands against NLMRC’s unconsented entry. This escalation culminated on August 28, 2026, when the police deployed Civil Disturbance Management units to forcibly break the community-led barricade, resulting in the arrest and detention of ‘Kasibu 11’ from Barangays Paquet, Dine, and Catarawan.
This aggressive intervention was carried out despite the clear absence of a genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process from the affected Indigenous communities. Time and again, extractive firms bypass authentic consultations, disregarding the self-determination of local inhabitants. The mountains of Nueva Vizcaya are not idle grounds waiting to be exploited for minerals; they are home, source of livelihood, and sacred ancestral domains that have sustained generations. Bypassing FPIC strips these communities of their legal rights and threatens the very ecosystems that feed and shelter them.
This exploration is an attempt of ecological violence and an ecocidal act. Mountains, forests, and watersheds hold the inherent right to exist, persist, and regenerate. Fragmenting Kasibu’s vital mountains through large-scale mining inflicts irreversible harm on nature’s life-sustaining capacity, reiterating that human survival and the Rights of Nature are inextricably bound.
PMPI joins the Indigenous Peoples and affected local communities of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya in asserting the following calls:
- Immediate and Permanent Halt to NLMRC Exploration. We call on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to immediately revoke all permits and cancel any exploration attempts by North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation that bypass the mandatory FPIC process and disregard ancestral domains.
- Justice for the Kasibu 11. Drop all politically-motivated charges including grave coercion and resistance to authority filed against the Kasibu 11 and other anti-mining advocates. We demand an immediate end to the criminalization and harassment of environmental defenders who are simply asserting their constitutional rights and defending their homes.
- Respect Ancestral Lands and the Rights of Nature. We urge corporations and duty-bearers to honor the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and enact institutional protections for protecting critical ecosystems and ancestral domains from destructive extractive projects and the recognition of Rights of Nature.
PMPI remains steadfast in its solidarity with the brave people of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. We continue to stand alongside you in resisting encroachment, safeguarding ancestral domains, and protecting our Common Home. We urge the general public to join in supporting the on-going anti-mining barricade and standing with the frontline communities fighting for ecological justice.
