The Philippine National Police on Jan. 23 dismantled an anti-mining barricade in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, arresting seven residents and clearing the way for mining exploration.

The move prompted condemnation and calls for accountability from church leaders, environmental groups, human rights advocates, and indigenous peoples’ organizations.

Police enforced a writ of preliminary injunction issued by Paul R. Attolba Jr., a judge of the Bambang Regional Trial Court, in Barangay Bitnong, ordering the dismantling of the community barricade and allowing mining equipment linked to Woggle Corporation to enter the area. 

Seven residents were arrested during the operation and are now referred to by support groups as the Dupax del Norte 7. On Monday, Jan. 26, the prosecutor’s office dismissed the case of “resistance and disobedience” against the seven residents.

Multi-sectoral organizations condemned the dispersal and warned that the operation targeted farmers and indigenous communities defending their land, livelihood, and environment.

Catholic Bishop Jose Elmer I. Mangalinao of Bayombong was among the first to denounce the police action, saying the dispersal left communities shaken and burdened with unanswered questions.

“For those protesting against mining exploration in Dupax del Norte, for those who were at the barricade, and for those following what happened through social media, our hearts are now filled with mixed emotions — compassion, discouragement, anger, and even questions,” Mangalinao said in a pastoral message.

He described the protesters as ordinary farmers and residents who had endured months of hardship while guarding the barricade. 

“It is painful to see the suffering of our brothers and sisters at the barricade — simple citizens and farmers who only want to defend their life and livelihood, their land,” he said.

Mangalinao criticized authorities for what he described as silence and bias toward the mining company. 

“Despite their pleas for help from those in power, despite their repeated appeals to the court for what they are fighting for, what they received was silence, indifference, and favor given to Woggle Mining Corporation,” he said.

“Enough is enough,” the bishop added. “Let us now raise our voices louder and demand accountability.”

The bishop also questioned police conduct during the operation, asking whether law enforcement acted impartially and followed proper procedures. 

He called on provincial police officials to give “an honest assessment” of the dispersal and urged environmental regulators to address alleged irregularities in the mining exploration permit. 

“We demand transparency in the steps you are taking to resolve this problem,” he said.

Addressing the judiciary, Mangalinao said he was praying for Attolba, that his “heart and mind may be enlightened” and that the judge may become “an instrument not only of human justice but even more of God’s justice.” He urged the court to act for “true justice for the oppressed.”

Despite the dismantling of the barricade, the bishop said the struggle continues. “Even if our barricade has been dismantled, what we are fighting for has not been dismantled,” he said.

Barricade mounted over mining concerns

Residents of Dupax del Norte began manning the barricade in September 2025 to block mining exploration activities by Woggle Corporation, citing concerns over water sources, farmland, and long-term environmental damage. 

Community members said they were opposing the project after what they described as the lack of genuine consultation and clear information on the scope and impact of the exploration.

Woggle Corporation holds an exploration permit in the area and is linked through corporate affiliates to British mining firm Metals Exploration Plc. 

The mining site covers agricultural and residential areas, including land tilled by small farmers and indigenous families.

Nueva Vizcaya, located along the Caraballo Mountains and the Sierra Madre range in northern Luzon, has long been a flashpoint for mining-related conflict. 

Communities in the province have repeatedly opposed large-scale mining projects, citing threats to agriculture, water security, land stability, and local ecosystems.

Community groups have drawn parallels between Dupax del Norte and nearby towns such as Kasibu and Quezon, where mining operations have been blamed for water depletion, environmental damage, and social conflict.

The Board of Church and Society of the Philippines, Regional Conference of the United Methodist Church, expressed solidarity with the affected communities, saying mining projects in Dupax del Norte threaten indigenous peoples, farmers, and local families.

In a statement, the UMC said it stands “in full solidarity with the communities of Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya — the indigenous peoples, farmers, youth, and families whose lives, livelihoods, and cultural heritage are endangered by mining projects permitted on their ancestral lands and the natural resources they have long safeguarded.”

The church body said the situation underscores the need to uphold justice, protect ancestral land rights, and defend communities facing displacement and environmental harm.

Kalikasan protests DENR

On the same day as the dispersal, environmental coalition Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment staged a protest outside the Department of Environment and Natural Resources central office in Quezon City, denouncing what it described as the agency’s complicity in mining operations in Dupax del Norte.

The protest was held in response to a court order authorizing the dismantling of the barricade and the arrest of residents resisting the entry of mining equipment linked to Woggle Corporation.

“This barricade is not illegal — it is a people’s defense against plunder, destruction, and dispossession,” said Jonila Castro of Kalikasan.

“What is happening in Dupax del Norte is a clear case of state-backed corporate plunder,” Castro said, adding that decisions made, or left unmade, by the DENR have “real, immediate consequences for communities defending their land, livelihood, and lives.”

Kalikasan said the court order reflects a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation faced by communities opposing mining, which the group linked to the Marcos Jr. administration’s push for extractive projects.

Legal groups warn of SLAPP

Legal advocates also raised concerns over the arrests.

Atty. Ryan Roset, senior legal fellow of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, said the cases filed by Woggle Corporation that led to the arrest and detention of residents constitute “a clear Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) against environmental human rights defenders exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights.”

Roset said the Mining Act of 1995 requires permit holders to consult affected communities and resolve disputes through negotiation or arbitration. 

“Instead of addressing disagreements through negotiation and arbitration, Woggle violated established procedure and went straight to taking the affected communities to court and effecting their arrest and detention,” he said.

“This act of overriding the legal rights of affected communities to prior consultation and dispute resolution by weaponizing judicial remedies clearly constitutes a SLAPP,” Roset added, warning that the cases were intended “to silence, intimidate, and ultimately deter public participation.”

Human rights groups KARAPATAN and HUSTISYA also condemned the arrests, calling for the immediate release of the Dupax del Norte 7 and warning against the use of court orders and police force to suppress community resistance.Multi-sectoral groups said the events in Dupax del Norte underscore a continuing pattern of state-backed support for extractive projects at the expense of rural and indigenous communities, renewing calls for justice, accountability, and respect for the right of communities to defend their land and future.