3 MIN READ

By GEN FELICIANO
www.nordis.net

KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya — The deployment of police officers and soldiers to a community barricade on August 5 in Barangay Paquet, and the order to residents to remove the pole blocking the road, have drawn criticism and protests from the community, their lawyers, and environmental groups.

According to residents and their legal team, about 300 police and military personnel arrived at the site led by Nueva Vizcaya police director Paul Bometivo. The authorities cited a certification from the town mayor stating that the road occupied by the barricade is public. The residents said some police officers and soldiers remained at the site to guard the area.

Residents set up community barricades in three areas in May to protest the mineral exploration activities of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC). This collective action has prevented the company from transporting exploration equipment and mineral samples in and out of the area.

Lawyers assisting the residents assert that the road remains part of private property. 

“Although the public has been using the road for a long time and there is also a certification from the mayor, the fact remains that the land still belongs to the Dugay family because they did not sell the property. Neither did the government acquire that property through expropriation,” a statement sent to Nordis from the legal team said.

They said this is established in legal principles and from a Supreme Court decision. 

Under the Right-of-Way Act (RA 10752) and the jurisprudence of Heirs of Jose Mariano v. City of Naga (G.R. No. 197743), land remains private property unless validly sold, donated, or expropriated, regardless of long public use.

They also questioned the presence of the police and military. “Walang rason para maglagay ng pulis doon. Wala namang nangyayaring gulo doon. Bakit kailangang maglagay siya ng pulis? Ano yung intensyon?” the lawyers said. 

Residents, their lawyers and supporters, believe that the police presence may be linked to efforts to bring in fuel for the company’s drilling operation in Barangay Pao.

“Kung lalagyan ng mga pulis sa lahat ng barikada, magiging parang militarized na ang itsura. Actually, meron nang isang unit ng 86th Infantry Battalion dyan, may detachment ang CAFGU, may army units within the vicinity of the permit area, tapos ipinasok pa yung PNP na yan,” the statement said.

The lawyers expressed confidence that the communities would stand their ground and that, whatever happens, they would not allow the drilling operation to proceed. They said that despite the court complaints the residents and lawyers are facing, they remain committed.

Two of the lawyers assisting the residents are now facing cyberlibel charges filed by NLMRC — Edgardo Balgos and Fidel Santos — along with two community leaders, Lei Jin Dugay of Kasibu and Florentino Daynos II of Dupax del Norte Environmental Defenders.

Environmental groups have condemned the presence of state armed authorities at the community barricades, calling it a form of harassment.

“Malinaw na parte ito ng sunod-sunod at serye ng harassment, intimidasyon at ambang militarisasyon sa komunidad ng mga katutubo at magsasaka sa Kasibu na dekada nang tinututulan ang mga dambuhalang minahan,” the Alyansa ng Novo Vizcayano para sa Kalikasan said.

Meanwhile, the Center for Environmental Concerns–Philippines (CEC) called for the immediate withdrawal of police from the area, saying their continued presence intimidates residents.

“The deployment of armed police at a peaceful community barricade constitutes harassment and intimidation of Indigenous Peoples and farming communities who are lawfully exercising their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and a balanced and healthful ecology,” the group stated.

“This latest police deployment is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of harassment against environmental defenders in Nueva Vizcaya,” CEC added, citing current and previous cases filed against environmental defenders in the province, including Bayombong Bishop Elmer Mangalinao.

They called on the government office to heed the communities’ call to suspend NLMRC’s exploration activities and urged the public and other organizations to stand with the people’s barricade in Kasibu.#nordis.net