Philippines: Several Arrests of Residents Involved in Anti-Mining Barricades

Featured image: Anti-mining barricade in Dupax del Norte, Philippines. Source: Ang Bayan

We previously reported of a barricade erected in the barangay Yabbi, in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vicaya, against the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC). You can read our report here:

Ang Bayan reports that on September 24, an arrest warrant was issued for one of the barangay residents involved in the barricade against the NLMRC. He has gone to the court and posted bail. Nine further residents were arrested for attempted murder for hindering an employee of Crescent Mining Development Corporation (CMDC) from removing their vegetable truck, which had been used to block a road in Mankayan, Benguet, on September 8.

According to the testimony of the employee, he was beaten in the head with a piece of metal for 15 minutes, which was quickly contradicted by the medical report made in the case, in which “no injuries apart from several scratches” were found. Even the testimony of the police officer who prepared the report defined the incident as a “slight physical injury.”