Benguet IPs unite to block mining renewal in ancestral land

MANKAYAN, Benguet — Cooperation among indigenous peoples (IPs) in the Cordillera Region to protect ancestral lands from external encroachment is not new.

In 1975, the Bontok tribe of Mountain Province and the subtribes of Kalinga forged a historic alliance to oppose the construction of the Chico megadams, which threatened to submerge their lands. Similarly, Tingguian subtribes in Abra stood firm against the Cellophil Logging Corporation’s plan to exploit their forests.

This tradition of solidarity continues today.

On 21 October 2025, IPs—mostly Kankanaeys from Barangays Guinaoang and Bulalacao, Mankayan—renewed their unity pact to oppose the entry of Crescent Mining and Development Corporation (CMDC) into their ancestral and agricultural lands.

More than a week earlier, the communities set up a barricade in Guinaoang to physically express their opposition to the renewal of CMDC’s Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA), which they claimed was “illegally granted” without proper Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as mandated by the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA).

CMDC’s 25-year mining permit expired in 2021, but protesters alleged that the company has been attempting to resume operations under a “fraudulent” renewal, supposedly enabled by the negligence of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

During the unity pact ceremony, elders and leaders of both barangays finalized their collective commitment, vowing that no member should betray the cause and that all must remain steadfast in defending the land to be inherited by their descendants.

They also agreed to support one another throughout their opposition to CMDC’s mining operations and any other potentially destructive projects that may enter their communities.

Elders and residents from neighboring Barangays Balili and Tabio, as well as other areas in Mankayan, also joined in solidarity and signed the pact.

“Menkaykaysa tako ya maid bumalbaliktad,” (“We must unite and no one should turn against the people”) said Bulalacao elder Josoh Galaoey.

From Guinaoang, elder Gary Dulag echoed the sentiment: “Masakbayan ya panbiagan, adi tako itulok ay maminas,” (“We should not allow our livelihood and future to be mined.”)

The renewed unity pact marks another chapter in the Cordillera people’s long-standing struggle to defend their land, livelihood, and cultural identity.