Bantay Kita

22/04/2026

22/04/2026

This virtual event aims to examine initiatives to strengthen regional climate action.

20/04/2026

🌏 JOIN: EARTH DAY 2026 WEBINAR (April 22) 🌏

In the spirit of the 2026 Earth Day theme, "Our Power, Our Planet," we understand power in two ways: the energy fueling our world, and the agency to create a better one. ⚡️ As the global energy transition accelerates, the Philippines, one of the world’s most mineral-rich countries, finds itself at a critical juncture. While the demand for critical minerals like nickel and copper skyrockets, we must ask: who truly bears the burden of this extraction?

✳️ Join us in an in-depth exploration of the women on the frontlines across the country. We will examine how mineral extraction reshapes their daily lives. 🙇🏽‍♀️ Beyond their lived experiences, we will highlight the role and significant contributions women make towards effective local mining governance.

Bantay Kita is also proud to launch our newest project with the support of AECID, dedicated to empowering women and ensuring their leadership drives a truly just and inclusive energy transition.

📩 PM for the Zoom details!

20/04/2026

📢 Our colleagues at the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the Resource Justice Network and Transparency International’s Accountable Mining Programme are hosting a webinar on the 2023 , focusing on 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 engagement.

What do the new provisions in the 2023 mean for civil society?

Join a discussion to explore implementation, challenges and opportunities.

🗓️ 23 April | 15:00 CET
🌍 Interpretation available in EN | FR | ES | RU | AR

Register here 👉 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vvgRTxtKRTy8XekzSI1nwQ #/registration

This webinar is part of a civil society project supported by EGPS, led by NRGI and Transparency International’s Accountable Mining Programme, and implemented in close collaboration with the Resource Justice Network and other civil society partners.

14/04/2026

🌏 JOIN: EARTH DAY 2026 WEBINAR (April 22) 🌏

In the spirit of the 2026 Earth Day theme, "Our Power, Our Planet," we understand power in two ways: the energy fueling our world, and the agency to create a better one. As the global energy transition accelerates, the Philippines, one of the world’s most mineral-rich countries, finds itself at a critical juncture. While the demand for critical minerals like nickel and copper skyrockets, we must ask: who truly bears the burden of this extraction?

✳️ Join us in an in-depth exploration of the women on the frontlines across the country. We will examine how mineral extraction reshapes their daily lives. ⚡️ Beyond their lived experiences, we will highlight the role and significant contributions women make towards effective local mining governance.

Bantay Kita is also proud to launch our newest project with AECID, dedicated to empowering women and ensuring their leadership drives a truly just and inclusive energy transition.

📩 Message for the Zoom details

27/03/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

March 26, 2026 | Cantilan, Surigao del Sur — The Cantilan Water District (CWD) participated in a joint orientation on “𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙨: 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙎𝙚𝙖 – 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝” 𝙖𝙣𝙙 “𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩: 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙖 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣.”
The activity was held at the Lino T. Arreza Puericulture Center and was attended by members of the Cantilan Woman’s Club, representatives from the Bardugs Association of Cantilan, and youth participants organized by Bantay Kita and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA).
𝗕𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗮 is a national coalition of civil society organizations advocating for transparency and accountability in the extractive industry. It promotes meaningful community participation in natural resource governance toward sustainability and resilience.
Meanwhile, the 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗦𝗢𝗔) is one of the world’s largest networks of youth leaders, ecopreneurs, and ocean advocates working to restore ocean health, build a sustainable economy, and protect the planet’s future.
𝗕𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗮 was represented by its National Coordinator, 𝗕𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 "𝗕𝗼𝗻" 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀, together with 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗼𝘀, while SOA was represented by 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗮, 𝗦𝗢𝗔 Philippines Hub Leader.
The activity forms part of the Cantilan Water District’s celebration of 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆, reinforcing its commitment to environmental sustainability, inclusive participation, and responsible resource management.

23/03/2026

Weaving Sustainable Livelihoods with Women at the Center! 🙋🏽‍♀️

For three years, the CEEC project has proven that small-scale livelihood support, when anchored in community trust, creates ripples of resilience.

During our recent fieldwork in the Caraga Region, we sat down with women weavers, fisherfolk, and farmers to assess how their organizations have been managing the small livelihood grants provided by the project.

🗣 Leading these workshops was Ms. Jane Baldago, a community-based social enterprise development specialist, in particular, financial services, whose expertise in microfinance helped us move beyond numbers. The women focused instead on stories of independence, struggle, and hope.

From leading eco-tourism initiatives in community-proclaimed Marine Protected Areas to piglets for community hog-raising, we applaud these communities for diversifying their livelihoods and supporting one another amid the pressures of large-scale nickel mining. ⛏

✳️ More about Clean Energy Empowered Communities ✳️

With the help of Resource Justice Network, The CEEC Project was developed to support the empowerment of fisherfolk, farmers, and Indigenous communities in mining-affected areas through legal capacity-building and sustainable livelihood initiatives. BK brings in various experts and groups to support community members’ unique needs, ranging from mining governance and just energy transition contexts, as well as alternative livelihoods like eco-tourism, rug-making , and hog raising. CEEC further documents mining-related cases and files grievances while advocating for policy reforms including a credible CSO selection process for mining oversight committees.

To all our resource persons, local partners, and the resilient communities over the years - Daghang Salamat 🙏🏽

📸 Photos by Edwin Poblacion

23/03/2026

Bantay Kita, together with our local partner Fr. Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) and CECI (Centre d’étude et de coopération internationale), paid a courtesy visit to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office XIII (Caraga).

We were warmly received by Engr. Francis Glenn Suante, OIC-Regional Director of MGB XIII. The meeting was attended by Beverly Besmanos, BK National Coordinator, alongside representatives from CECI who are currently conducting exploratory work on community development, particularly where Canadian mining companies have a presence.

Discussions focused on:
✳️Understanding the local mining governance landscape in Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte;
🫱🏼‍🫲🏾Exploring opportunities for collaboration among government, civil society, academe, and communities;
⚡️Strengthening community-led initiatives for sustainable livelihoods and post-mining transitions.

Bantay Kita remains committed to fostering inclusive and transparent multi-stakeholder engagements that center the voices of mining-affected communities. We look forward to continuing these dialogues with our partners in government, academe, and civil society. 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

Daghang salamat to MGB XIII for the warm welcome and productive conversation! 🙏🏽

16/03/2026

LOOK: Recent skill-sharing in Caraga Region with Father Saturnino Urios University with the suppory of Sir Tinty from the Cantillan Water District. 🙏🏽

Together with Bantay Kita, FSUU facilitated workshops where communities mapped their water ecosystems and articulated the direct threat that nickel mining operations pose to their watersheds, covering:

🌾 Issues like siltation from mining stockyards is choking rivers and irrigation systems that rice farmers depend on.
🌊 Risks of deforestation/ mining near or within areas of community’s water sources
🦈 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs),like the shark sanctuaries in one of the partner communities, are threatened by sediment running off from mine sites.

Through the 3 years of the CEEC project, FSUU has been a steadfast partner in building the capacity of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to defend these critical ecosystems. We are all thankful for their continued commitment to science-based, community-centered advocacy.

✳️ More about Clean Energy Empowered Communities ✳️

The CEEC, with the support of Resource Justice Network, was developed to support the empowerment of fisherfolk, farmers, and Indigenous communities in mining-affected areas through legal capacity-building and sustainable livelihood initiatives. BK brings in various experts and groups to support community members’ unique needs, ranging from mining governance and just energy transitions contexts, as well as alternative livelihoods like eco-tourism, artificial reef deployment, and hog raising. CEEC further documents mining-related cases and files grievances while advocating for policy reforms including a credible CSO selection process for mining oversight committees.

📸 Photos by Edwin Poblacion

09/03/2026

👩🏽‍🌾⚡️👩🏽‍🌾⚡️ This International Women's Month, Bantay Kita Inc.'s women-led team has been putting Feminist Political Ecology in Action, centering women in the just energy transition

✊🏽 As we approach Women’s Month, Bantay Kita is deepening its commitment to ensuring that the lived realities of women in mining-impacted communities centered, beyond participation metrics and quotas. 📊

Recently, our Gender Focal Lead, Anaya, and Fieldwork Facilitator, Ms.Briggs, spearheaded Focus Group Discussions across the our partnered POs and IPOs across Caraga Region as part of the Resource Justice Network x BK Social Bonds - Gender Research. 🙏🏾

These sessions employ a FPE framework, examining how power, gender, and access to resources intersect in communities hosting nickel mines, with communities sharing their experiences concerning:

⚖️ Gendered power relations over mineral resources
🌾 Ecological changes and women’s embodied experiences of land, water, and food
🌐 Intersectionality (as Indigenous/ rural/ disabled/ q***r persons)
🏘️ Effectiveness of participatory mechanisms in transforming gendered decision‑making

Guiding this work with dedication and care are Beverly Besmanos, Bantay Kita's National Coordinator, and Prof. Tess Tabada of Visayas State University, our organization's coalition Gender Champion, whose decades of experience in gender and development provide the anchor for this research.

From the women who farm on their ancestral domains in Agusan del Norte 🧑🏽‍🌾 to Dinagat's coastal leaders tending to their dear community's boats 🛶 , we hope to spotlight how the transition mineral boom affects women differently and disproportionately. And how they are organizing in response.

This month is no different from the others; We continue to learn from and uplift not just women, but women-led solutions.

Our co-produced findings and reflections from this fieldwork will further inform our advocacy for gender-responsive mining governance and a genuine Just Energy Transition. 🔋

PC -- Edwin Poblacion

08/03/2026

Through the years, we have witnessed women lead, organise, and preserve life despite extraction's harms. This , we further spotlight their leadership and wisdom. 🙋🏽‍♀️ 🙋🏽‍♀️

The just transition we speak of and seek must be woven by the hands of women, especially those in mining communities bearing the heaviest burdens.

From mining communities to policy tables, many women lead the push for transparency, accountability, and justice. 🤝💜

05/03/2026

Bantay Kita is just now back from fieldwork! We Conclude Year 3️⃣ of the Clean Energy, Empowered Communities Project – implemented with the tremendous support of Resource Justice Network!

🛳️ Over the past 3 years, we have returned time and again to the heart of the Philippines' mining capital, Caraga Region in northeast Mindanao. 🏝️ Our fieldwork brought us to the island provinces of Dinagat, Surigao del Norte, and the ancestral domains of Agusan del Norte. We walked alongside our partner People's Organizations and Indigenous Peoples Organizations and even had the opportunities for them to engage in national and regional platforms. 🎙️✊🏽🌏

This 2026 skillsharing activities was made possible by the expertise of incredible resource persons who joined us on the ground:

💳 Ms. Jane Baldago (a community-based social enterprise development specialist) facilitated microfinance and livelihood workshops, helping communities assess how they have been managing their livelihood initiatives and plans.

🚰 Father Saturnino Urios University's Jeffrey Carin and Sir Tinty Iriberri from the Cantillan Water District guided communities in articulating the value of their water ecosystems and watersheds in the context of nearby nickel mining operations.

🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️ A women-led team composed of Ms. Bergida Donios (BK’s Fieldwork Facilitator), Anaya Escote (BK’s Gender Focal Lead) & Prof. Tess Tabada (Director of Visayas State University's Institute for Sustainable Research and Development Studies) who focused on research spotlighting the lived realities and intersectionality of the women in nickel-hosting communities across the region.

🪸 Lester Dellosa and Julienne B. Cafino of SOA Philippines, a youth-led organization championing ocean action. The duo facilitated youth group workshops with youth affected by mining as well as coastal out-of-school youth, centered on environmental protection and deep sea mining concerns.

✳️ More about Clean Energy Empowered Communities ✳️
The CEEC was developed to support the empowerment of fisherfolk, farmers, and Indigenous communities in mining-affected areas through legal capacity-building and sustainable livelihood initiatives. BK brings in various experts and groups to support community members’ unique needs, ranging from mining governance and just energy transitions contexts, as well as alternative livelihoods like eco-tourism, artificial reef deployment, and hog raising. CEEC further documents mining-related cases and files grievances while advocating for policy reforms including a credible CSO selection process for mining oversight committees.

To all our resource persons, local partners, and the resilient communities over the years - Daghang Salamat 🙏🏽

📸 Photos by Edwin Poblacion