The Nueva Vizcaya people were extremely alarmed after a letter from the Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Office in Region 2 circulated on social media, informing local government officials that the agency had granted exploration permits to two mining companies on March 2. The letter was immediately met with strong condemnation. On the following day, the agency was forced to issue another letter clarifying that the exploration permits for the companies were “not yet approved.”
One of the companies, Kalinga Mineral Resources Corporation, planned to mine 8,747 hectares of land covering the towns of Kayapa, Bambang, and Aritao. The other, DML Mineral Resources Corporation, targeted 14,470 hectares covering the towns of Aritao, Dupax del Sur, and Dupax del Norte.
Bambang Mayor Benjamin Cuaresma III issued on March 3 an order for the immediate inspection of the affected areas. He also declared that his office would not allow mining in their town. Meanwhile, the municipal government of Aritao released a statement defending its local policy opposing mining.
The towns of Bayombong and Santa Fe had earlier issued resolutions rejecting mining operations within their territories. The majority of League of Municipalities–Nueva Vizcaya members also passed a resolution opposing exploration and mining in their respective towns in the future.
Despite CENR’s statement withdrawing the exploration permits for the two companies, the people of Nueva Vizcaya vowed to remain vigilant against any attempt to mine in their communities.
