“Alarmingly, these cases continue to increase, as corporations and the state deliberately target communities and defenders.”

MANILA – Environmental defenders called for an end to judicial harassment against residents and advocates in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya opposing the North Luzon Mineral Resource Center (NLMRC) mining activities.

Lei Jin Dugay, anti-mining advocate from Nueva Vizcaya, is one of those who have been recently charged with cyberlibel by the NLMRC representative Jaime Atayde. Prior to Dugay, lawyers Fidel Santos and Edgar Balgos have also been slapped with the same charges for defending the community.

In a statement, the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) said that these incidents “demonstrate a disturbing pattern of intimidation and criminalization aimed at discouraging communities from exercising their democratic rights and defending their environment.”

The CEC also condemned the continuing intimidation of the communities of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. On August 5, members of the Alyansa ng Novo Vizcayano para sa Kalikasan (ANVIK) reported police and military presence at the people’s barricade. 

Read: Mining firm files cyberlibel vs anti-mining residents’ lawyer

Attacks against critics 

The cyberlibel charges against Dugay stemmed from her criticisms against NLMRC’s mining activities. Dugay pointed out the environmental impacts of mining operations and the lack of genuine consultation with the community of Kasibu. 

In the complaint, NLMRC claimed that they fully complied with the requirements of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB). 

The said mining exploration covers 4,456 hectares across Kasibu affecting eight baranggays. Indigenous communities said the operations include  their ancestral land. 

The community has opposed the mining project, saying that it violates their rights to livelihood and a healthy environment. On May 8, they began setting up seven barricades to prevent mining equipment from entering the area.  

Read: Indigenous community rising up against mining in Nueva Vizcaya   

Aside from the case against Dugay, community leader Pastor Florentino Daynos was also arrested on August 3 for grave threat and coercion charges. Daynos has been temporarily released after posting bail.

According to the Environmental Defenders Congress (EDC), this is the fourth trumped-up charges filed against Daynos in connection to his opposition to mining projects in Nueva Vizcaya. 

“Alarmingly, these cases continue to increase, as corporations and the state deliberately target communities and defenders,” EDC said in a statement. . 

Both Santos and Balgos filed their counter-affidavit with the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Isabela last August 3.

ANVIK expressed their solidarity with the anti-mining advocates who continuously fight for their rights. They also demanded the cancellation of NLMRC’s mining exploration permit. 

“The filing of cyberlibel and other cases against community leaders and their lawyers is part of a growing pattern of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) aimed at silencing environmental defenders and weakening legitimate resistance to large-scale mining,”ANVIK said.

ANVIK called on organizations, public officials, and concerned citizens “to stand in solidarity with the People’s Barricades, oppose SLAPPs and other forms of judicial harassment, and uphold the rights of communities and environmental defenders.” (AMU, RVO)