Didipio mine controversy
Alleged demolition of houses
In June 2008, OceanaGold was accused of illegally demolishing at least 187 houses in Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya during the construction of the Didipio mine. According to a report by the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR), the houses were "bulldozed off cliffs and set on fire". One resident, Emilio Pumihic, was shot by OceanaGold's security personnel when he tried to stop the demolition crews from dismantling the house of his neighbor Manuel Bidang, who was still asleep inside. Although officers of the Philippine National Police were present during the demolition, the shooter was not apprehended.
In January 2011, the CHR issued Resolution No. A2011-004 denouncing the "alarming human rights situation in Barangay Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya" after receiving and verifying complaints from its mostly indigenous residents. The commission found OceanaGold had committed several human rights violations against the Didipio residents and resolved unanimously to recommend the probable withdrawal of the FTAA grant to OceanaGold, effectively preventing their operation within the country. No official action was taken by the Philippine government and OceanaGold completed the construction of the mine in 2013.
Conflicts with local government and blockade
OceanaGold's initial 25-year FTAA with the Philippine government lapsed on 20 June 2019. Nueva Vizcaya governor Carlos Padilla issued an executive ordering the provincial government, the municipal government of Kasibu, the local government of Didipio and the local police to stop any mining activities by OceanaGold. The company filed a plea of injunction with the Bayombong Regional Trial Court to challenge the order, but was denied. Padilla further warned OceanaGold that they would face court charges for allegedly continuing mining activities despite the expiration of their FTAA. Nueva Vizcaya's provincial council also passed a local resolution officially opposing the renewal of the company's FTAA. To enforce this resolution, the government of Nueva Vizcaya placed checkpoints augmented by blockades occupied by local residents along the mine's access roads, effectively preventing the mine from operating.
In January 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte authorized the delivery of 63,000 liters of fuel to the Didipio mine. On 6 April 2020, more than 100 police officers armed with riot gear escorted three diesel tankers owned by OceanaGold and forcibly dispersed the barricade set up by Didipio residents. One person was arrested and charged with violating quarantine protocols and civil disobedience. According to a CHR statement, several residents were injured in the dispersal, most of whom were indigenous women. The incident prompted a statement from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights denouncing the "unnecessary and disproportionate" use of force and urged the company to stop its operations, beyond maintaining a water pump, until indigenous and local communities have been consulted and have consented.
In response, OceanaGold released its own statement explaining that they sought the necessary permits from the national and local government to conduct an "emergency fuel delivery" to maintain the operation of a water pump preventing the underground mine from flooding. The company maintains that they "did not participate in the fuel delivery" and that they are "not a party to any judicial action relating to the protest". OceanaGold also claims that only a "small number of local people" oppose their operations and that the majority of the community support the renewal of their FTAA.
On 15 July 2021, President Duterte approved the renewal of OceanGold's FTAA, allowing the company to fully operate once again. The Didipio mine has resumed mineral processing of gold and copper in November 2021, and has returned to full production as of 2023.
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Legal issue
On 22 April 2024, Jose Elmer Mangalinao, Pastor Romualdo Robles, Didipio Earth-Savers’ Multi-Purpose Association Inc. and concerned Nueva Vizcaya residents, joined by provincial government and other organizations, filed a 400-page certiorari and mandamus case before the Bayombong Regional Trial Court to nullify OceanaGold's 2021 renewal of the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement agreement. The group petitioned for OceanaGold's mining concession closure in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. The "Office of the President’s renewal of the FTAA without prior consultation and Sanggunian endorsement constitutes grave abuse of discretion” Bishop Mangalinao alleged in the judicial review. The petitioners anchored their plea on Sections 26 and 27 of the Local Government Code, Presidential Decree 1151, Presidential Decree 1586, and the Philippine Mining Act requirements of Environmental Clearance Certificate and Environmental Impact Statement. The Nueva Vizcaya provincial government’s Environment Code, Ordinance 2014-108 prohibits the open-pit mining the Didipio Mine in Kasibu.
