Mothers of the watershed: From legal defense to a just minerals transition law

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 DDN7 were detained for enforcing a people’s barricade against Woggle Corporation, a mining firm seeking to explore the uplands without the mandatory free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of the people of Dupax del Norte. The NCIP had issued a certificate of non-overlap because Dupax del Norte is apparently not classified as an ancestral domain.

That mothers, grandmothers, and community leaders were detained exposes the brutal logic of extractive aggression: it criminalizes local resistance.

Analiza Centeno, one of the six women, suffered deep psychological distress in custody, a fear amplified by her son battling meningitis.  Their three-day and two-night detention—from a Friday arrest until their release could be processed  the following Monday—underscored the procedural cruelty they faced as they waited and prayed. 

She later shared that continuous prayer with fellow residents and their steadfast sense of duty to protect the watershed kept them going even after their grueling experience.

By filing a lawsuit to disperse them, Woggle Corporation has engaged in a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). They have weaponized the court system to intimidate those who have the least resources but the most to lose. 

The enforcement of a temporary restraining order (TRO) bypassed the mandatory arbitration mechanisms required by Section 23 of the Mining Act of 1995. It is a desperate attempt to silence the voices that are most protective of the land.

Legally, the corporation’s actions are an affront to the doctrine of "clean hands." A party seeking equity from the courts must act with equity. Yet, records indicate Woggle has allegedly operated without the endorsement of the local government unit (LGU) and allegedly violated the Revised Forestry Code (P.D. 705) by cutting trees without permits, according to the community.  

To detain six women for defending their constitutional right to a balanced ecology, while the corporation operates with impunity, is a grotesque inversion of justice.

The need for durable change: The AMMB

This injustice, however, is not an accident; it is ultimately a result of the current Mining Act of 1995, a flawed law that has liberalized the mining sector. 

This is why the paralegal training conducted by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) was not merely a reactive measure for legal defense—it was a proactive step toward policy reform.

Supported by the advocacy for a just minerals transition and the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB), this training was designed to equip community leaders not just to fight TROs, but to question the legal framework that supports extraction without strong safeguards. 

The AMMB has been filed in the House of Representatives by Representatives Kaka Bag-ao, Perci Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Dadah Ismula; and in the Senate, by Senator Risa Hontiveros. The AMMB covers transition minerals, or minerals needed for the transition to clean energy. Woggle plans to explore gold, and copper, which is a transition metal for the production of renewable energy technologies such as electric vehicle batteries.

The paralegals of Dupax are not just defenders; they are policy advocates. They understand that under the proposed AMMB, the watershed-based governance approach would likely have designated the critical Casecnan headwaters as a "no-go mining zone" from the start, preventing this conflict entirely.

Further, the AMMB contains explicit provisions against SLAPP suits, mandating that legal harassment against communities be dismissed immediately. Had the AMMB been the law of the land, the DDN7 would not be dealing with this needless trouble. The training underscored that the fight on the ground must be matched by a fight in the halls of Congress.

On February 5, 2026, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) froze the exploration permit of Woggle. Citing sustained community opposition, the government decided to suspend the permit. This is a victory no doubt for the people of Dupax, including the six detained women environmental defenders. Woggle, however, questioned the temporary suspension.

Issues like this could be avoided entirely with the passage of the AMMB. The women defenders of Dupax del Norte should not have to choose between being mothers and being criminals. We need a mining law that protects the people who protect the watershed.

Sign our petition calling for the passage of AMMB here.