Farmers, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women and church groups launch No2Mining Campaign. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO – The Manila Times

OVER 1,000 residents that joined a motorcade around Brooke’s Point town to protest the large-scale mining operations of Ipilan Nickel Corp. (INC) in their municipality held a press conference a day after the Global Day of Action Against Mining. In attendance was Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative Victoriano Colili for Brooke’s Point.

The protests have intensified after the recent issuance of Executive Order 130 re-allowing new mining contracts and the reinstatement of INC’s mineral production sharing agreement, or MPSA, until 2025 without public consultation nor consent from the Indigenous People of the area, where the mining site in question falls within the Pala’wan ancestral domain in violation of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. The petition stated, “No to Mining in Brooke’s Point, Yes to Life: Ang Brooke’s Point ay Mananatiling Clean, Green, Beautiful, Sustainable and Mining-Free.”

Farmers and fisherfolk reiterated that the health of their people comes from healthy watersheds that supply clean water to their rice granaries, downstream areas, and clean oceans that are valuable sources of food.

Lawyer Grizelda Mayo-Anda, of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) and co-convenor of the Save Palawan Movement, said the broader No2Mining in Palawan campaign will be revived to halt the alarming influx of large-scale mining. Youth leader Ireneo Maestrecampo, speaking in Filipino, called on government officials and President Duterte to listen to the voice of the youth: “To Office of the Ombudsman, to President Duterte, we continuously ask for help, we the future of Brooke’s Point who will be the future leaders and residents here – we are taught to love our environment.”

Source: The Manila Times