IPs in Benguet oppose mining permit renewal

Indigenous peoples in Barangay Bulalacao, Mankayan, Benguet, are opposing the renewal of Crescent Mining and Development Corporation's (CMDC) permit to operate on their ancestral land, asserting that their consent was not obtained.

Barangay chief Satur B. Anton highlighted that the mining operations have already negatively impacted the community's water sources, threatening their primary livelihood of farming highland vegetables.

Anton expressed concern that the extractive mining activities could lead to food scarcity for his constituents.

CMDC, an Australian-owned company, operates a copper-gold project in Mankayan under a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) whose 25-year permit expired in November 2021.

Marlou Pablo, the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of Barangay Bulalacao, stated that the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) approved the MPSA renewal without the mandatory Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process.

A certification issued in December 2021 by the then-NCIP Cordillera Regional Director allowed the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to grant the permit renewal, enabling CMDC to continue drilling operations.