12/04/2026
[OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF UP PALAWEÑOS ON MINING ACTIVITIES AND THE BARRICADE IN SITIO LINAO, BROOKE'S POINT, PALAWAN]
Economic prosperity should never come at the expense of communities, more so the ancestral lands that these indigenous communities have long tended to. UP Palaweños joins the Palaw’an communities in Brooke’s Point that are resisting Calmia Mining Corporation and Ipilan Nickel Corporation in their struggle to prevent corporate takeover of ancestral lands. UPP stands with Panglima Celso Paida, the indigenous leader behind the Linao barricade opposing Calmia Mining.
Mining has long resulted in hundreds of hectares of deforestation and caused conflict within communities due to displacement. In 2024, the Philippines stood as the second top exporter of raw nickel with most of it sourced from Southern Palawan. Large-scale open pit mines have scarred Mt. Mantalingahan and Mt. Bulanjao as well as mountain ranges in Rio Tuba, Brooke’s Point, and Narra.
Now, Calmia Mining Inc., a subsidiary of bigger nickel mining firm MacroAsia, is looking to position itself in Brooke’s Point, a Palaw’an hotspot already battered due to previous mining operations by Ipilan Nickel Corporation. These mining companies are known to divide communities, sow discontent through local officials and under-the-table agreements, and take advantage of minimal and weak protections offered to IP groups through the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997.
We condemn weak and outdated domestic policy, particularly the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, that enables predatory behavior against communities. MacroAsia already explores and extracts nickel ore from 1,523 hectares of land in Brooke’s Point. Ipilan Nickel Corp. has a permit allowing it to operate over 2,835 hectares of land in Brooke’s Point and adjacent areas. This leaves little room for communities, while their livelihoods in the form of bagtik collection are neutered in chase of profits from nickel mining.
Whether through the allure of economic development or through attempts at bribery, UPP denounces and decries the nine Sangguniang Bayan officials that have voted symbolically favoring the continued operation of Ipilan Nickel Corporation: Joseph Benedito, Rogelio Badua, Nathan Lacanilao, Jayson Sespeñe, Hayati Dugasan, Richard Ballean, Nerelia Pacaldo, and Ezekiel Rodriguez and Jaja Quiachon.
Ipilan Nickel and other mining firms have long caused the reddish-brown floods that occur as laterite is eroded to downstream lowland areas, resulting in weak or dying plants, as well as sticky, polluted floods that contaminate food supplies. The continued operation has already been scrutinized by lawmakers such as Sen. Risa Hontiveros, but companies keep on denying their roles in the destruction of farmland and natural ecosystems in Brooke’s Point.
Under the outdated Philippine Mining Act of 1995, these corporations are required to only give 1% of their revenue to affected communities. This 5% is not enough for reparations to irreversible damages caused by mining companies. The regulatory mechanisms are also lacking, leading to anomalous fund distribution, further making the situation worse for IP groups affected by mining.
Ancestral lands should never be sold to private entities. This has long been the case for disputed land communities in Palawan, including parts of the Batak tribe lowlands and Balabac’s Sitio Marihangin.
UPP stands with the Palaw’an communities as they fight for their rights over their ancestral land and the preservation of environmental hotspots in the province.
References
tinyurl.com/UPPIpamanaReferences
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