On August 22, church people from the Consecrated and Religious of the Diocese of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya condemned the planned mining project in Dupax del Norte.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau granted an exploration permit to Woggle Corp on August 4 to study the minerals that could be extracted from the town. The company plans to cover 3,102 hectares of forested land in the municipality.
“While mining companies often promise jobs and development, the truth is that large-scale and destructive mining operations bring long-term damage to our environment, health, and livelihoods,” Bayombong bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao explained.
According to the statement, Nueva Vizcaya is known as Region 2’s watershed haven: the source of clean rivers, has fertile agricultural lands, and thick forests. Allowing mining in Dupax del Norte will deprive communities access to clean water, economically displace farmers and fisherfolk, and destroy the ancestral land and the forests that protect the town from flooding and landslides.
“As one united community, we firmly declare that the true wealth of Dupax del Norte lies not beneath the ground, but above it in our land, water, forests, and people,” Mangalinao said.
The church called on the residents of Dupax del Norte, the barangay councils, youth, farmers, organizations, and government officials to defend the town from environmental plunder and stop the planned mining operations.
“We must protect our inheritance today so that future generations of Dupaxianos may live in a community that is safe, sustainable, and free from the destruction of mining,” Mangalinao stated.
Woggle Mining Corp is a subsidiary of MTL Philippines Inc. and an affiliate of FCF Minerals Corp, which operates the Runruno Gold Project in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. MTL is a subsidiary of the British company Metals Exploration Plc. MTL Philippines acquired Yamang Mineral Corp, which planned to conduct mining in Abra.
