TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The Social Action Center of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk (AVT-SAC) has expressed support for the Balatoc Indigenous Cultural Community's opposition to mining operations in Pasil, Kalinga, saying indigenous rights and environmental protection must be upheld.

In a statement, AVT-SAC Director Fr. Jeorge D. Masinem said any development project within ancestral domains must respect the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).

The church organization said downstream farming communities initially did not oppose the project of Makilala Mining Company Inc. (MMCI) out of respect for the Balatoc tribe's right to self-determination.

However, Masinem said that support was based on assurances that mining operations would not harm the Pasil River, a major tributary of the Chico River system.

The AVT-SAC expressed concern over what it described as the aggressive expansion of large-scale mining by outside corporate interests, saying it undermines indigenous self-governance and threatens neighboring communities.

The group also cited a manifesto signed by tribal elders, landowners, and small-scale miners rejecting corporate agreements they claimed were executed without broad community consultation or genuine consent.

It stressed that under Section 5 of the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA), ancestral domain and resource rights belong collectively to indigenous communities and cannot be exercised solely by individual leaders or private entities.

The church organization urged the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and other regulatory agencies to thoroughly review pending mining applications in areas where community consent remains disputed.

It also called for an open and inclusive dialogue involving upland indigenous communities and downstream agricultural stakeholders to protect local livelihoods, watersheds, and the environment.

Opposition to MMCI's operations has intensified after members of the Balatoc tribe petitioned the NCIP to cancel the company's mining permits.

The petitioners argued that the company's Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA), approved in March 2024, was issued before the required Certification Precondition was granted in September 2024, allegedly violating the IPRA.

The community also alleged that deceptive practices and forged signatures were used to secure consent for a 2022 memorandum of agreement and warned that the mining project could lead to militarization and environmental risks affecting the Pasil and Chico river systems.