Church in Kalinga backs Balatoc tribe's stance vs mining expansion

BAGUIO CITY — The Social Action Center of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk (AVT-SAC) has thrown its support behind the Balatoc Indigenous Cultural Community in Pasil, Kalinga, and downstream farming communities opposing the expansion of large-scale mining projects in their ancestral domain.

In a statement, AVT-SAC Director Fr. Jeorge D. Masinem said development projects in indigenous territories must uphold the communities’ rights under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), particularly their right to free and prior informed consent (FPIC).

Masinem said downstream communities initially did not oppose the Makilala Mining Company Inc. (MMCI) project out of respect for the Balatoc tribe’s right to self-determination.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: DENR cites mining firm for violations on Sibuyan Island

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

That position, however, was based on assurances that mining operations would not affect the Pasil River, a major tributary of the Chico River system.

The church organization said it is now alarmed by what it described as an aggressive push for additional large-scale mining projects by outside corporate interests, warning that these threaten neighboring communities, watersheds and agricultural livelihoods.

It cited a recent manifesto signed by tribal elders, landowners and small-scale miners rejecting corporate agreements that they said were entered into without broad community assemblies or genuine consent.

The AVT-SAC stressed that under Section 5 of IPRA, ancestral domain and resource rights belong collectively to the indigenous community and not to individual leaders or corporate groups. It urged the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and other government agencies to review pending mining applications where community consent remains disputed and to facilitate dialogue between upland indigenous communities and downstream farmers.

Article continues after this advertisement

The church’s statement comes as opposition to mining projects in Batong Buhay has intensified.

Earlier, members of the Balatoc tribe filed petitions before the NCIP seeking the cancellation of MMCI’s mining permits, arguing that the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) granted in March 2024 was approved months before the issuance of the required Certificate Precondition in September 2024, allegedly violating IPRA.

Article continues after this advertisement

The petitioners also accused the company of using deceptive tactics and forged signatures to secure consent for a 2022 memorandum of agreement and warned that the project could bring militarization and environmental damage to the Pasil and Chico river systems.

Last week, tribal elders, landowners and small-scale miners also opposed an agreement involving the Philippine Mining Development Corporation, London-listed Metals Exploration PLC and a faction of the Balatoc Kalinga Tribal Incorporated, saying it was executed without a genuine FPIC process that involves the wider indigenous community.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

The Balatoc tribe has maintained that mining projects targeting the copper and gold-rich Batong Buhay area threaten their ancestral lands, traditional livelihoods and indigenous governance while violating their collective rights under IPRA. INQ