Residents of Barangay Pacquet and Barangay Kakidugen in Kasibu, Nueva Ecija have put up barricades to block North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC) for its planned exploration.

The company will explore over 4,456 hectares of ancestral land of the Bugkalot/Ilongot indigenous people in Barangay Pacquet, Biyoy, Dine, Catarawan, Kakidugen and Pao, where it plans to mine gold and copper.

Residents erected a barricade on May 9 in Barangay Pacquet, adjacent to Pao, where the company is currently conducting drilling operations. Residents plan to block the entry of fuel and the exit of mineral samples from the site. They erected a second barricade in Barangay Kakidugen to block the entry of crude oil for operations.

On May 10, residents of affected barangays held their first meeting at the Pacquet barricade, joined by their lawyer and residents from Sitio Barikada in Barangay Bitnong, Dupax del Norte, to discuss plans against the exploration.

Residents said the company obtained an exploration permit from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau on June 25, 2025, followed by a Certificate of Non-Overlap from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). Actual digging began only in November 2025. The company used drilling machines from China by January 2026. Four drilling machines currently operate in Barangay Pao.

Residents learned the company is also planning consultations in Barangay Pacquet, Dine, Biyoy, Catarawan, and Kakidugen. Only then did they learn the exploration covers their communities. The company did not give them a copy of the exploration.

Residents from the six barangays are demanding that companies hold consultations before approving exploration and digging. They add the NCIP illegally granted the permit to the company because the project covers ancestral land, so it must undergo Free, Prior and Informed Consent processes.

Residents are also planning barricades in other barangays not directly covered by the exploration, like Barangay Mataddi in Nagtipunan, Quino, through which may pass outbound mineral samples or inbound crude oil supplies to the drilling site.

Residents call for support in their fight. They fear the mine will destroy the environment and watershed that supplies water to surrounding communities.