Along with the proliferation of military detachments come the entry of numerous mining companies in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur, primarily in the mineral-rich Andap Valley Complex. These mines are owned by the largest comprador bourgeoisie, in partnership with large foreign companies.

According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in August, national and local governments have granted at least 13 Mineral Production Sharing Agreements to companies to mine in different parts of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur. These have also granted four exploratory permits, three small scale mining contracts, two people’s small scale mining contracts, one special mines permit, and one mineral processing permit.

Companies with the largest operations include Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation (covering 9,659 hectares), CTP Construction & Mining Corporation (8,452 hectares), Ludgoron Mining Corporation (2,062 hectares), Kafugan Mining, Inc (1,186 hectares), Philsaga Mining Corporation (8,548 hectares), Philex Gold Philippines, Inc. (6,207 hectares), and Consolidated Ores Philippines, Inc (1,953 hectares). Marcventures and its partner Bright Kindle Resources & Investments, Inc. are part of RYM Business Management Corporation, owned by the family of House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

In July, Benguet Corporation, also owned by the Romualdez family, submitted an additional application to mine coal in the municipalities of San Miguel, Marihatag, and Tago. It applied for a license to cover 12 “coal blocks” in the area, equivalent to 12,000 hectares. The Romualdez family has controlled Benguet Mining since the time of Marcos Sr’s dictatorship and is now partnered with the American company Rothschild Investment LLC.

Philex Mining, owned by big bourgeoisie Enrique Razon, is partnered with the Australian company Medusa Mining Limited. Philsaga Mining, owned by former soldiers and paramilitaries, is partnered with another Australian company Ten Sixty Four Limited.

Benguet Corporation is one of the companies that benefited from, and even pushed for, the intense militarization of the Andap Valley Complex. Other companies include Abacus Coal Exploration and Development Corp, and its partner Oriental Vision Mining Philippines (ORVI) Corp, owned by the Zamora family. ORVI and Abacus’ application covers 5,000 hectares of forestland in the area. Other companies include Great Wall Mining and Power Corp, a Chinese company; ASK Mining and Exploration Corp, which was granted a permit for exploration in 2009; and CoalBlack Mining Corp.

The Andap Valley is home to one of the largest coal reserves in the world, covering the adjacent municipalities of San Miguel, San Agustin, Marihatag, Cagwait, Tago, and Lianga in Surigao del Sur.

The strong resistance of the Lumad people and their refusal to give their free and prior informed consent have long held off the plunder by these companies in the Andap Valley. Since 2015, San Miguel, San Agustin, Marihatag, Cagwait, Tago, and Lianga have been subjected to brutal military rule to suppress the resistance of the Manobo and Mamanwa people and force them to give up their rights to their ancestral lands.

Among the military’s crimes are the massacres in Lianga in 2015 and 2021. The first massacre killed Emerito Samarca, executive director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (Alcadev); Dionel Campos, leader of the local peasant organization Mapasu; and member Datu Juvello Sinzo. The massacre forced 3,000 Lumad to evacuate. The second massacre killed two Lumad farmers and a 12-year-old student.

In the following years, multiple evacuations of residents took place due to relentless killings and militarization. Under the orders of the Duterte regime, the military targeted Lumad schools run by local communities. Eventually, the schools were forced to close and have since not reopened.