Seven residents of Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya were arrested on January 23 at their barricade against the planned mining of British company Woggle Corporation in their barangay. Using 400 police with support from Bureau of Fire Protection personnel, the company forcibly brought in drilling equipment (ground-boring machines), backhoe, and other machinery.

The order to dismantle the barricade and arrest of the residents came from the January 19 decision of the Regional Trial Court 30 of Nueva Vizcaya. Hundreds of residents, their supporters, church people, and environmental group members blocked the road on the day of the dismantling itself.

Those arrested included Florentino Daynos, one of the leaders of Defend Dupax del Norte. He and six others were released on January 26 after the prosecutor junked the “resistance and disobedience against person in authority” case and the added “obstruction of justice” charge against them.

Apart from the courts and police, the 86th IB also threatened to crush the Dupax people’s fight under the pretext of “guarding” against organizations Red-tagged for supporting the people’s struggles.

Barricade, protest, and solidarity

Residents of Sitio Keon, Barangay Bitnong, Dupax del Norte barricaded on September 17, 2025 to defend their land, livelihood, and the succeeding generations’ future. They blocked vehicles, machinery, and company personnel from entering the road leading to the exploration area.

Dupax residents gradually gained recognition for their valiant struggle against the foreign company. They won support from the Diocese of Bayombong, nearby schools, and even some local government officials. Environmental defenders, progressive groups, and congressmen visited the barricade. The barricade was featured in media and social media inside and outside the country.

Environmental and progressive groups led by Kalikasan protested on January 24 at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City to condemn its permission for Woggle’s exploration despite the community’s clear opposition. They protested again on January 28 at the FCF Mining’s office in Makati City.

London Philippine Solidarity along with progressive migrant groups in London protested at the Metals Exploration PLC office, the company that owns Woggle. United Kingdom groups launched the “British Mining Out of the Philippines” campaign to demand the withdrawal of the mining operations of British companies ravaging and destroying the Philippines’ natural resources and violating human rights.

Destructive British mining in Nueva Vizcaya

The struggle against foreign mining in Nueva Vizcaya is not new. Residents have actively resisted FCF Mining prior to the fight against Woggle. FCF runs the Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in Barangay Runruno, just 20 kilometers from Dupax del Norte. The Runruno mine that FCF started mining in 2005 was depleting, prompting its expansion to Dupax del Norte and also Abra. Fully owned by Metals Exploration PLC, FCF Mining owns 60% of Woggle. Metals Exploration directly owns the remaining 40%.

Runruno residents and environmental organizations have long demanded the closure of FCF Mining because its operations lie inside or near the Magat Watershed—a protected area that irrigates more than 84,000 hectares of farmland in Cagayan Valley and supports 61,812 farmers and 360 irrigation associations. The petitions submitted by environmental groups stated that the Runruno mine dumps toxic waste and causes river pollution, flooding, and other environmental damage. The DENR nevertheless continues to reject demands to close the mine. It instead called the petitions “baseless” and used technical documents like the Environmental Compliance Certificate and Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program to drown the people’s legitimate concerns.

According to a Metals Exploration PLC document, the company aims to enter Dupax del Norte to continue FCF Mining’s ore processing operations in Barangay Runruno. It plans to take and process any potential ore mined from Dupax del Norte in Runruno, ensuring long-term and uninterrupted plunder of Nueva Vizcaya’s natural resources, while its residents suffer environmental destruction, land grabbing, and the social ills that come with it.

Runruno symbolizes the state’s peddling of Cagayan Valley’s water source and food production to British capitalists. This strengthens the Novo Vizcayanon stand to fight the mine. They declare: “Ipamana, huwag ipamina!” (“Bequeath the land, stop mining it!”)

Apart from Dupax, residents of Barangay Didipio, Kasibu have endured decades of similar hardship and violence in their fight against Australian- Canadian company OceanaGold. Its peasants and indigenous communities have long resisted destructive large-scale mining and foreign plunder that destroys ancestral land, rivers, and livelihoods.