The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) on Monday, Jan. 26 called on President Marcos to intervene and order the immediate release of seven residents arrested during the “violent” dispersal of an anti-mining barricade in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya.

“ICHRP calls on Marcos Jr. and the local government of Dupax Del Norte to immediately release the seven arrested individuals. The international community will not stand idle and will continue to campaign to stop Woggle’s operations in Nueva Vizcaya,” the group said in a statement.

ICHRP denounced the “violent arrest” of seven residents and community members during the anti-mining barricade in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya on Jan. 23.

The group also condemned what it described as the excessive use of force by state authorities during the operation.

“We condemn the overkill deployment and overwhelming use of force of over 300 PNP and SWAT troops who arrested the protesters and forcibly demolished the barricade to allow the entry of mining equipment of British company Woggle Corporation. State forces and Woggle goons wantonly violated the peasant community’s right to land—with the barricade standing on titled land and private property,” it said.

ICHRP identified those arrested as local community leader Florentino Daynos II and six peasant Indigenous women: Krislyn Pocday, Adela Modi, Analiza Baliao, Amelia Rabino, Janet Macario, and Sonnette Nginsayan.

“Two of the women fainted during the altercation and were brought to the hospital before being brought to the local precinct. Most members of the peasant community are displaced Indigenous Peoples who came from different mining sites in the Cordillera region.m,” it said.

The group said Woggle Corporation is seeking to develop gold and copper deposits located on Indigenous lands in Dupax del Norte, alleging that the company secured exploration permits through deceptive means.

“Its exploration permits were obtained through deceptive methods, like acquiring locals’ signatures from attendance sheets for ayuda (aid) and using it as proof of their Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC)—an Indigenous right. Companies need their approval before being allowed to operate on Indigenous lands,” the group stated.

ICHRP said the situation reflects a wider pattern of foreign-backed extractive projects in resource-rich areas.

“Woggle’s intrusion to Indigenous lands in Dupax Del Norte is proof that the colonial extractivism of centuries ago still continues today,” it said.

“Imperialist countries continue to amass precious metals and minerals in resource-rich countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, often through violating domestic legal processes and using police or military force.”

In November 2025, Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao of Bayombong warned of worsening ecological damage in Nueva Vizcaya and urged President Marcos to halt large-scale mining operations that he said threaten forests, rivers, and communities dependent on them.

“We are appealing to the president… Let us not give big companies the opportunity to continue destroying Nueva Vizcaya,” Mangalinao said in a video message he delivered on Nov. 14 while visiting a remote Dupax del Norte village, where locals have maintained a barricade to oppose a mining project.

However, President Marcos remains mum on the issue as of press time.