NATION

Anti-mining leader’s arrest condemned

Aldwin Quitasol · Aug 4, 2026, 11:44 PM

DPWH Cordillera crews have cleared affected sections of the Pico-Lamtang Road in La Trinidad and the Baguio-Bauang Road in Sablan, Benguet. Both roads are now restored to two-lane traffic. Drivers are urged to proceed with caution due to the risk of landslips during continuous rainfall. — PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of DPWH cordillera

NUEVA VIZCAYA — Members of the Dupax del Norte Environmental Defenders (DdNED) are decrying the arrest and detention of one of their leaders, stating he was taken into custody without receiving a prior subpoena.

Florentino Daynos II was arrested Monday at a police checkpoint in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, on charges of grave threats and coercion. Following his arrest, authorities brought Daynos to the Malasin Police Station in Dupax del Norte.

The arrest coincides with ongoing legal battles involving local environmental advocates and mining companies in the region.

On the same day as the arrest, pro bono lawyers Edu Balgos and Fidel Santos, alongside community leaders and anti-mining protesters from Kasibu and Dupax del Norte, filed a counter-affidavit at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Isabela.

The filing responds to a cyberlibel complaint lodged by a representative of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corp. (NLMRC).

Anti-mining advocates claim the legal action by NLMRC is part of a pattern of strategic lawsuits against public participation aimed at targeting environmental defenders.

Other individuals facing complaints and legal proceedings include activist Lei Jin Dugay and church leaders, including Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao.

The legal disputes follow months of active community resistance against mining operations in the province.

For nearly three months, community members in Kasibu have maintained barricades that have halted exploration activities by blocking the movement of supplies and ore samples. In Dupax del Norte, residents continue to maintain a barricade at Sitio Keon in Barangay Bitnong to oppose operations by Woggle Corp., whose exploration permit remains under indefinite suspension.

Environmental advocacy group Alyansa ng Novo Vizcayano para sa Kalikasan called for the immediate release of Daynos and the dismissal of all charges against the lawyers, community leaders, and clergy involved in the protests.

The group cited growing concerns over judicial harassment, heightened surveillance and increased militarization linked to expanding critical mineral extraction in the region.