BAGUIO CITY — Indigenous Peoples (IPs) from Barangay Balatoc in Pasil, Kalinga have filed petitions before the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Regional Office seeking the cancellation of mining permits granted to Makilala Mining Company Inc. (MMCI) for operations within their ancestral domain.
The petitions, submitted on 10 June 2026, call for the immediate revocation of the company's Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) and Certification Precondition (CP). Copies have also been submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other government agencies.
The petitioners argued that the mining agreement, reportedly approved in March 2024, was issued before the NCIP granted the required Certification Precondition in September 2024, which they said violates the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).
According to the petitions, IPRA requires the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of indigenous cultural communities before mining concessions are approved or operations commence. The petitioners also cited Supreme Court jurisprudence affirming strict compliance with the law.
The Balatoc Indigenous Cultural Community and the Balatoc Young People further alleged that the mining company used deceptive tactics and forged signatures to secure consent for a Memorandum of Agreement in 2022.
They also claimed that the project has brought militarization, red-tagging and the presence of private armed personnel into the community, creating an atmosphere of fear and disrupting traditional governance systems and local peace pacts.
In their opposition letters, the community also raised environmental concerns, warning that large-scale mining could lead to the drying and pollution of the Pasil and Chico river basins, soil erosion and deforestation.
The petitioners said such impacts would threaten public health and undermine sustainable livelihoods, including small-scale farming and resource gathering, which remain vital to families and communities in the Cordillera region.
Makilala Mining Company Inc. has yet to issue a statement on the allegations raised in the petitions.
