The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued an order on February 5 to temporarily suspend Woggle Corporation’s exploration permit on the basis of “force majeure” (events or conditions beyond the control of the permit holder). These events include the putting up of barricades, firm opposition, and ongoing tension between residents and the company.

The standing barricades and blockades on the road leading to the exploration site signify the residents’ sustained resistance. The barricade has defied government agencies’ interventions and dismantling, and continues to block the “safe, orderly, and legal conduct of exploration activities,” according to the MGB order. The agency said it would lift the suspension once the situation changes, the conflicts cease, and safe conditions for operation are restored.

In defiance of the order, Kalikasan directly observed and documented the company’s continuance of its exploration activities. The company also did not post any official notice in the community or at the exploration site announcing that its operations have been suspended.

Environmental groups protested on February 12 at the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Quezon City to condemn the company’s continued operation despite its permit being suspended. The groups also called for the permanent cancellation of Woggle Corporation’s permit and the end to all mining operations in Nueva Vizcaya.

According to Kalikasan and Taripnong-Cagayan Valley, the suspension is a result of the collective struggle of Dupax del Norte people, who have bravely and persistently defended their homes, communities, ancestral lands, and water sources. They understand that the order was issued to pacify public outrage after the the permit’s approval was exposed to involve corruption and that there was no real consultation with the residents. They also recognize in it the rottenness of a social system that serves foreign interests in collusion with local bureaucrat-capitalists.

Residents and their supporters fear that Woggle Corporation may use the suspension to justify the deployment of military and police forces to terrorize them and dismantle their barricade. The military used similar tactics in the Didipio barricade against OceanaGold.

In response, residents and environmental groups continue to demand the permanent cancellation of Woggle Corporation’s permit and protection of Nueva Vizcaya from destructive mining operations.