About 400 residents from Barangay Guinaoang and Bulalacao in Mankayan, Benguet gathered on October 13 for a mass and a program to bless their newly built barricade opposing the intrusion of Crescent Mining and Development Corporation (CMDC) into their ancestral land.

The event also marked the formal establishment of the “No Mines Movement of Guinaoang and Bulalacao” (NM-MGB), an alliance of residents united to defend their ancestral land and advance their rights as indigenous people.

Residents began setting up barricades as early as August after learning that CMDC started to position drilling equipment in Barangay Guinaoang.

Covering 533.4 hectares of two barangays, the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) was renewed in March 2022. Despite having expired on November 21, the agreement was still allowed by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), even without the residents’ Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

In June 2022, the residents’ collective action successfully halted CMDC’s exploration. Bulalacao barangay officials in December 2024 also filed administrative and criminal cases against former and current NCIP and MGB-CAR officials involved in fake documents. Despite this, no one has yet been held accountable for the crime.

CMDC is 64% owned by the Australia-based company Blackstone Minerals.