For the third time, Dupax del Norte residents put up their barricade against Woggle Corporation in Barangay Bitnong on February 21. They did this to ensure the company could not deviously enter after its permit for exploration in the barangay was suspended.

On February 5, the people’s relentless struggle compelled the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to order the temporary suspension of the company’s exploration permit. Despite this, the company’s personnel continued their activities until February 17, when they finally pulled out machines and mineral samples.

Several digging machines and pipes used for exploration remain in the area. Residents said the reestablishment of the barricade symbolizes the community’s unity in defending their environment and their rights.

At the Senate Committees on Local Government and on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change February 23 hearing on cancelling Woggle Corporation’s permit, residents of Dupax del Norte, together with groups Kalikasan PNE, Defend Dupax Del Norte, and other organizations, protested at the Senate building in Pasay City.

The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) stated at the hearing that the MGB’s anomalous granting of the exploration permit to Woggle Corporation reflects the broader systematic violation of the people’s right to consultation or consent through local government mechanisms. The same occurred in the renewal of the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) of OceanaGold in the town of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.

“In Nueva Vizcaya, it is wrong for national agencies to treat the consultation requirement with residents as mere formality. By granting Woggle the right to explore and renewing OceanaGold’s FTAA No. 001 despite strong opposition from the people, the government disregards the communities directly affected by mining—including its impact on health, water supply security, agriculture, and livelihood,” LRC Senior Legal Fellow Atty. Ryan Roset said.