Junk Woggle’s Exploration Permit! Defend Nueva Vizcaya!
- Panaghiusa Philippine Network
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Suspension is meaningless while drilling continues. Woggle’s permit must be junked.
Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights condemns the continued drilling operations of Woggle Mining Corporation in Dupax Del Norte, despite the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)’s temporary suspension of Exploration Permit No. EP00003011. This so-called suspension is hollow, as destructive activities persist on the ground.
Community monitors and residents have documented that drilling activities remain ongoing at the exploration site. No official notice of suspension has been posted, and affected households have received no formal communication regarding the supposed halt. This exposes the suspension as a hollow gesture, failing to stop destructive operations that threaten Indigenous Peoples, farmers, and residents.
The MGB’s suspension order was issued under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Administrative Order No. 2010-21, citing “force majeure” conditions such as blockades and disputes with landowners. Yet while authorities have acted swiftly in the past to dismantle people’s barricades, they have failed to enforce their own suspension against corporate operations. This double standard reveals a troubling bias toward protecting mining interests over the rights of communities.
By allowing drilling operations to continue, the government sends a dangerous signal that corporate interests can override the rights and welfare of the Indigenous Peoples, farmers, and residents. Half-measures cannot protect communities whose livelihoods and environment are under direct threat. The exploration permit must be junked and drilling operations must be stopped without delay.
Panaghiusa emphasizes that the Indigenous Peoples have long resisted extractive projects that violate their rights and plunder the environment. The continuation of drilling operations despite suspension underscores the systemic failure to uphold these rights. The MGB and other concerned agencies must fulfill their mandate to protect the people and the land, not shield corporations from accountability.
Panaghiusa calls on allies, advocates, and the broader public to stand in solidarity with affected communities in Dupax Del Norte and across Nueva Vizcaya. The suspension of permits without halting operations is a betrayal of the government’s responsibility to uphold people’s rights and protect the environment. Genuine accountability requires not only the junking of Woggle’s permit but also a fundamental shift in policy that prioritizes people over profit, ancestral lands over exploitation, and ecological balance over corporate greed.
Panaghiusa stands firm with the Indigenous Peoples, farmers, and residents of Dupax Del Norte in their demand for the protection of their land. We call on the public to amplify this struggle, expose the hollow gestures of regulatory agencies, and demand decisive action. The fight to junk Woggle’s permit is part of a broader movement to defend Indigenous Peoples’ rights, protect the environment, and ensure that future generations inherit a land that is free from exploitation and destruction.
Moreover, Panaghiusa invites everyone to join the launching and be part of the Defend Nueva Vizcaya Movement (DNVM) on February 16, 2026 at Atencio-Libunao Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman. The DNVM brings together environmental groups, faith-based organizations, academic institutions organizations, Indigenous communities, peasant groups, and concerned individuals united to defend the environment, natural resources, and people’s rights in Nueva Vizcaya. #
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