Politics · Philippines Bureau
Indigenous groups use vegetable trucks to block Benguet mining operations
Protesters in Mankayan have escalated their year-long blockade of a mining site by positioning delivery vehicles to prevent court officials and company personnel from accessing the facility. The action aims to resist a court order against their demonstration.
LSN Philippines ·
BAGUIO CITY — Indigenous protesters in Mankayan, Benguet have reinforced their opposition to mining operations by positioning vegetable delivery trucks along a road leading to the entrance of Crescent Mining Development Corp. on Monday.
The truck barricade was erected to obstruct access to the mining site and prevent court officials, company employees, and police from executing a writ of preliminary injunction targeting the year-long demonstration against the operation.
The protest represents an ongoing conflict between local indigenous communities and mining interests in the mineral-rich province. The blockade has become a symbol of community resistance to extraction activities on lands traditionally used by indigenous groups.
The use of agricultural transport as a demonstration tool reflects the communities' reliance on farming and natural resources. The action underscores tensions between court directives and the determination of indigenous protesters to maintain their presence at the mining site.