Farmers, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women and church groups launch No2Mining Campaign. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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."