Environmentalist Organizations launch the Defend Nueva Vizcaya Movement

The Defend Nueva Vizcaya Movement was officially launched at the Atencio-Libunao Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, morning of February 16, composed of local community members, environmentalist groups, indigenous people, clergymen, human rights groups, and peasant organizations.

Over 10 organizations convened in order to reaffirm their commitments in defending the region of Nueva Vizcaya. The broad coalition attempts to coordinate the advocacy, legal support, and community mobilization in the struggle of the anti-mining residents to halt destructive mining operations for the promotion of sustainable development.

Cathleen de Guzman from Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment emphasized that the defense of the region of Nueva Vizcaya is rooted from a long history of environmental defenders and the nation’s resolve in the protection of our land, liberty, rights from large-scale foreign corporations.

“As long as greed drives capitalists and their allies to collude and plunder our resources and homelands, local communities will rise to oppose them, and we will stand firmly beside them, unwavering in our support,” exclaims De Guzman.

As one of the convenors of the broad coalition, the Climate Change Network for Community Based Initiatives (CCNCI) reaffirms its commitment in joining the campaign of our fellow environmental defenders in Nueva Vizcaya against the exploitation of our land and natural resources at the hands of foreign large-scale mining corporations.

In line with our advocacy for climate justice, we reiterate our condemnation of ALL forms of destructive mining and emphasize the history of displacement, land-grabbing and human rights violations behind the industry. The launching of the coalition is a sign of intensifying collective action against corporate greed and is a significant step towards resisting environmental destruction.

The formation of a broad coalition is also a monumental achievement in recognizing our indigenous communities as the first line of defense against natural calamities. As a community that utilizes their indigenous technical knowledge in agriculture to feed their people who are dependent on vegetables and rootcrop harvest, the anti-mining residents of Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya are not only a formidable opposition against mining but a powerful voice in forwarding sustainable agriculture across their region.

It is our indigenous people who will preserve the environment for the climate adaptation from rural areas but also from the urban cities who have become vulnerable with the rising number of natural calamities.

𝐃𝐀𝐆𝐀, 𝐁𝐈𝐀𝐆, 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐆

𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐁𝐀𝐍!