A delegation led by Cordillera women and representatives of communities and people’s organizations resisting large-scale mining, destructive energy projects, market privatization, and continuing human rights violations will engage national government agencies from November 25 to 26, 2025. The delegation will meet with Members of the House of Representatives, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and other national offices to call for the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the cessation of state and corporate attacks in the Cordillera.
The mobilization coincides with the International Day to End Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the government’s so-called Mine (Un)Safety Week—an especially critical moment for Indigenous women who face heightened vulnerabilities amid land grabbing, militarization, and displacement.
Over recent years, rapid policy shifts have facilitated the fast-tracking of foreign investment in mining and energy. These include the lifting of the moratorium on new mining agreements, the removal of the open-pit mining ban, and amendments to the Renewable Energy Act allowing 100% foreign ownership of renewable energy projects. Mechanisms such as EVOSS and the Green Lanes have further undermined community participation, while the NCIP has advanced amendments to the 2012 FPIC Guidelines without genuine consultation with Indigenous Peoples.
These policies have paved the way for an aggressive entry of large-scale mining and energy corporations into the Cordillera. In Kalinga, Makilala Mining Company became the first to secure a new mining permit in the region since 2012. In Abra, Yamang Mineral Corp. attempted to initiate exploration without undergoing any FPIC process, while Golden Lake Mineral Resources was issued a permit without any FPIC process. In Benguet, permits for Crescent Mining and Development Corp. and certifications for Itogon Suyoc Resources Inc. were issued despite strong community opposition. Renewable energy projects continue to threaten ancestral domains across the region, and communities recently learned of a planned military complex in Abra kept from public knowledge. In Baguio City, residents are opposing the impending privatization of the Baguio public market, which threatens to displace local vendors and open the city’s central market to corporate retail interests.
At the same time, State agents continue to harass, threaten, label as terrorists, and criminalize activists, including women leaders who are at the forefront of community campaigns. Trumped-up charges, including fabricated allegations of terrorism financing, are being used to silence legitimate opposition.
Throughout the two-day mobilization, the delegation will submit petitions, present documentation of violations, and raise urgent demands before Congress, NCIP, and other national agencies. Their key calls include:
- Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights to ancestral land and self-determination.
- Stop the plunder and destruction of Cordillera lands and natural resources.
- Respect and implement genuine Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
- Revoke mining permits, including renewals, issued without genuine FPIC.
- Hold NCIP, DENR-MGB, and corporations accountable for violations of Indigenous rights.
- Repeal laws and policies that enable environmental destruction and violate Indigenous rights, including the Mining Act of 1995 and the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
- Oppose the corporate takeover and privatization of the Baguio City public market.
The delegation will also hold a public forum to raise awareness on the continuing struggles in the Cordillera and the urgent need to defend Indigenous lands and communities.
Cordillera activists urge national leaders to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights, end the plunder of ancestral lands, and stop state-perpetrated attacks against the people.
