By Rachel Magday
NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — The prosecutor’s office in Nueva Vizcaya has dismissed the criminal complaints filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against seven members of an anti-mining group arrested during the enforcement of a writ of preliminary injunction on Jan. 23 in Sitio Keon, Barangay Bitnong, Dupax del Norte.
In a consolidated resolution, Prosecutor II Atty. Orville Ibarra said the cases were dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence, citing the absence of a clear factual basis to establish probable cause against the respondents.
The resolution pointed to uncertainty over the exact location where the writ was implemented, saying it was not clearly established whether the enforcement area was part of the barangay road network or within land belonging to the protesters and their supporters.
Ibarra also noted that although a crowd had gathered, the act was described as a peaceful expression of sentiment–an activity protected under the Constitution.
The prosecutor’s office further ordered the release of all seven accused.
Police earlier arrested six women—identified as members of the indigenous community in the area and an anti-mining leader, Florentino Daynos, after authorities alleged they obstructed the enforcement of the writ by forming a human barricade.
The writ of preliminary injunction, issued by Judge Paul R. Attolba Jr. of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 30, authorized Woogle Corporation to continue its mining exploration in Sitio Keon and directed the clearing of the route leading to the company’s exploration site.
The PNP filed three charges against each of the seven: direct assault, resistance and disobedience to an agent of a person in authority, and obstruction, alleging the group formed a human barricade in violation of the court order.
Following the dismissal of the cases,the group returned to Sitio Keon and held a canao—a traditional indigenous thanksgiving ritual as a gesture of gratitude for the prosecutor’s decision and to celebrate their release from the charges.
