BAGUIO CITY -- A network serving Indigenous communities in the Cordillera has backed residents opposing mining activities in Mankayan, Benguet, and Conner, Apayao, calling for development that prioritizes community welfare and environmental protection.

The Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera expressed support for residents of Barangays Guinaoang and Bulalacao in Mankayan who have maintained a barricade against the entry of Crescent Mining Development Corp.

Tensions escalated along the Guinaoang-Colocol Road on 8 September when court officers, police personnel and company representatives arrived to enforce a writ of preliminary injunction.

The order barred residents from preventing company workers and equipment from entering the proposed exploration site.

Residents maintained their position along the road, saying they were defending their ancestral lands, farms, rivers and livelihoods.

CDPC expressed concern over the deployment of police personnel during the land dispute.

While acknowledging the rule of law, the group said court orders and police authority should not be used to intimidate communities or protect corporate interests.

It called on the police and local government officials to exercise restraint and protect residents from violence, harassment and prosecution while they asserted their rights.

The dispute involves CMDC’s exploration activities and the renewal of its mineral production sharing agreement.

Residents have questioned alleged irregularities in the free, prior and informed consent process required for projects affecting ancestral domains.

CDPC said consent should not be treated as an administrative requirement completed only after decisions had been made.

Conner mining proposals

The group also supported the Conner municipal council and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation for acting against large-scale mining proposals in Apayao.

Conner faces 14 pending mining proposals consisting of two mineral production sharing agreement applications, three financial or technical assistance agreement applications and nine exploration permit applications.

According to CDPC, the applications overlap with agricultural areas, forests and watersheds in the municipality.

Local officials introduced the proposed Conner Environmental and Community Safeguards Ordinance for Mineral Exploration and Mining Activities of 2026 to establish protections against environmental degradation.

CDPC said opposition to extractive projects should not be interpreted as opposition to economic development.

The group maintained that development should protect food security, cultural identity, ancestral territories and the right of residents to give or withhold consent.

It called on civil society groups, religious institutions, human rights organizations and neighboring communities to support residents in Benguet and Apayao.