The National Democratic Front (NDF)-Cagayan Valley vehemently condemned the planned extension of mining operations until 2037 by Canadian-Australian mining company OceanaGold.

On July 4, during Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s official visit to Canada, he proudly announced, alongside officials of OceanaGold, their agreement of a US$1.9 billion investment to extend the Didipio Gold-Copper Mine operations until 2037.

According to the group, Marcos’ promotion of the foreign investment as a “win” for the local economy will not bring genuine development for the people. Instead, it will further plunder and destroy natural resources, minerals, land, and livelihood, displace residents from their homes and plunge them deeper into poverty and oppression.

The Didipio Gold-Copper Mine in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, which spans 27,000 hectares, is believed to hold 1.41 million ounces of gold and 169,400 tons of copper. It is operated by the Australian-Canadian company OceanaGold. After several years of operation, the project now threatens the local water system, which is critical to the community’s survival, their agricultural livelihood, and the surrounding ecosystems.

The long-term environmental and health impacts of open-pit mining are severe. Due to the stripping of mountains and land, flooding and landslides worsen during heavy rains and typhoons. It has also resulted in dust, mine tailings, and contaminated water that cause respiratory diseases, skin diseases, and other illnesses, especially among children and the elderly.

Around 4,000 indigenous people living in the communities of Didipio and Alimit, in the town of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya province, have continuously mounted protests against OceanaGold’s mining operations over the past few years. Similarly, in Dupax del Norte, residents have been building barricades against Woggle Corporation. However, these companies continue their operations through the collusion of the Marcos Jr regime.

“Marcos Jr’s continuing collusion with OceanaGold, Woggle and other foreign mining companies’ in plundering our mineral resources highlights the need to strengthen our resistance against large-scale and destructive foreign mining,” explained Salvador del Pueblo NDF-Cagayan Valley spokesperson.

The NDF-CV called on the people of Cagayan Valley to unite with the communities of Kasibu in resisting the worsening foreign plunder of natural wealth. The group said that the people must continue to stand, expand, and strengthen the barricades, as these serve as powerful shields against all forms of incursion to the right to land and natural resources.

“(O)nly the people’s war can decisively kick out the large-scale foreign mining corporations. Only through the national democratic revolution through the people’s war can we develop an economy based on genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization towards building a socialist society that would surely bestow a prosperous life for the Filipino people,” del Pueblo said.