SENATE PROBE, IKINASA NI PANGILINAN SA MINING DISPUTE SA DUPAX DEL NORTE, DENR IGIGISA!
Ni Ernie Reyes
Nais ungkatin ni Senador Francis Pangilinan kung bakit nakalusot sa local government units (LGUs) ang pagmimina sa Dupax del Norte sa Nueva Vizcaya na binalewala ang usaping sa kapaligiran at ancestral rights ng mamamayan sa lugar.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Pangilinan, chairman ng Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform na iimbestigahan ang lahat ng kinauukulang ahensiya ng pamahalaan kabilang ang Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) kung paano nakalusot ang dayuhang kampanya na magmina sa lugar.
“The purpose of the inquiry, in aid of legislation, is to review whether the issuance and implementation of DENR- MGB Exploration Permit No. EP 00003011 in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya has caused issues with environmental compliance, public consultation, and FPIC requirements, reported violations of environmental and procedural rules, and the roles of concerned national and local government agencies in enforcing their responsibilities,” ayon sa dalawang pahinang Senate Resolution No. 284 na inihain nitong Lunes, February 2.
Ayon kay Pangilinan, naibigay ang DENR-MGB Exploration Permit No. EP00003011 sa Woggle Corporation, isang affiliate of FCF Minerals Corporation, na magsagawa ang gold and copper mining sa mahigit 3,100 hectares lupain sa lalawigan.
Sa resolution, sinabi ni Pangilinan na “the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Nueva Vizcaya has requested the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) to cancel the exploration permit issued to the firm due to environmental concerns.”
“Councils from Barangay Oyao, Bitnong, Inaban, Munguia, and other affected communities in the province have also called for an investigation into the issuance of the permit,” ayon kay Pangilinan.
Aniya, kapag itinuloy ang pagmimina, lubhang ikinababahala ng residente ng Dupax del Norte na magdudulot ito ng irreversible damage sa kapaligiran, pananim at pinagkukunan ng tubig.
“Farmers have also voiced fears that mining could affect their rice fields, especially since the river supplying water to their fields has started to emit a foul smell and may dry up soon,” aniya.
Nagprotesta ang ilang residente at indigenous groups ng Dupax del Norte sa pamamagitan ng paglalagay ng harang sa access road ng mining sites upang tutulan ang minahan dahil hindi sila kinonsulta ng DENR at LGUs.
“However, a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 30 of Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya, on October 10, 2025, prohibited residents from blocking roads and dismantled community barricades,” ayon pa sa resolusyon.
“The enforcement of this TRO, based on a subsequent court order, led to clashes, with reports of some residents fainting amid the chaos,” anang dokumento.
Sa panukalang resolusyon at privilege speech ni Senador Raffy Tulfo at Pangilinan, maaaring matuklasan ang ugat ng pangyayari na nakabalot sa pagbibigay ng mining permit kabilang ang isyu kung bakit hindi nabigyan ng proteksiyon ang karapatan ng residente ng Dupax del Norte.
