As the Philippines enters National Women’s Month this March, the environmental struggle in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, offers a stark reality check for women’s rights.  The recent arrest and detention of the so-called DDN7, seven environmental defenders in Sitio Keon—six of whom are women—is not merely a legal dispute over a barricade. It is a scare tactic and a burden to the primary caregivers of the community and the fiercest guardians of the Casecnan watershed. The DDN

Legal and policy advocacy group Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) today said the anomalous issuance of an exploration permit to British firm Woggle Corporation in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya reflects a broader, systemic pattern of violations of the people’s right to prior consultations through local governments. In a position paper presented to the Senate Committees on Local Government and on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, LRC pointed out

At least 2.8 million hectares of deforestation-driving projects are potentially in conflict with more than half of Indigenous territories covered by Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADT), according to the latest report published by legal and policy advocacy group Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC).  In its 2025 State of Indigenous Peoples Address Report (SIPA 2025), the Center found at least 51 percent of the total land area of CADTs are entangled in cla

(Manila, Philippines) The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayombong together with communities in Nueva Vizcaya province elevated to the Supreme Court (SC) its Petition for Certiorari to nullify the illegal renewal of the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) issued to OceanaGold Philippines, Inc. (OGPI) for allegedly violating the constitutional guarantee of local autonomy and failing to conduct prior consultations and environmental impact assessments among affected c

Youth leaders from Palaw’an, Batak, and Tagbanua indigenous peoples held the first Kageg’baan baw Kadanuman (KBK) on Oct 25-28, 2025, a youth camp equipping them to assert their rights over ancestral lands and resources in Palawan. The province is under siege from large-scale metallic mining projects, including nickel, for the production of renewable energy technologies. The three-day event also commemorated the 38th anniversary of the passing of the Indigenous Peoples' Right

As the recent damages of consecutive typhoons Tino and Uwan revealed the deadly consequences of anomalous flood control and other environmentally critical projects, policy and advocacy group Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) led today the filing of a Petition for Certiorari and Mandamus at the Supreme Court (SC) to challenge the current barriers to freedom of information (FOI) in environmental matters of public concern.   “The prevailing restrictions of the DENR

Community leaders, lawmakers, local chief executives, and support groups gather for the First National Congress on Transition Minerals organized by LRC. Several lawmakers and local chief executives called for a strategic plan for managing the country’s 'transition minerals’, which have risen in demand as the world transitions to clean energy. The Philippines has significant deposits of nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper and silver, metals and minerals used in the production of

(Manila, September 22, 2025) Citing the urgent need for transparency on projects that affect communities and the environment, legal,...

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. President  Republic of the Philippines  Raphael P.M. Lotilla Secretary Department of Environment and Natural...

(Manila) As world leaders gather in the UN General Assembly in New York to drive urgent climate action for renewable energy, a...