The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) joins various organizations and individuals in condemning yet another cyber libel case filed by the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corp. (NLMRC). Lawyer Edgardo C. Balgos was slapped with a case days after the same mining company filed a legal complaint against Atty. Fidel Santos. Both public interest lawyers have been providing legal support to the indigenous people and residents of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, in the communities’ collective stand against the proposed mining project of NLMRC.
Almost a month ago NLMRC also filed a legal case against anti-mining advocates, led by Bishop Elmer Mangalinao, Diocese of Bayombong, who have been legitimately opposing the proposed highly-extractive project of NLMRC. Advocates emphasize that this foreign-designed initiative will systematically destroy the already fragile ecosystems of their communities which have been providing life-support systems to the indigenous peoples and residents of Kasibu.
The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) described the cases as a continual harassment against its members, as lawyers Balgos and Santos being NUPL members, that sets a pattern of what it described as “strategic lawsuits against public participation” or SLAPPs. These SLAPPs have been seen to intimidate, silence and or burden critics of expensive and years-long litigation. Relatedly, KATRIBU – Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines) had the same stand with that of the lawyer’s union, saying that that these cases just targeted lawyers Santos and Balgos who have been supporting indigenous peoples and residents in Kasibu against the abuses of NLMRC.
CPDG steadfastly opposes the efforts of local and foreign multinational companies, government officials, politicians, landlords or employers, in the institutionalization of lawfare via SLAPPs. Such legal harassment hinders environmental and human rights defenders, whose main agenda is the protection and promotion of the genuine comprehensive rights and welfare of the communities, as well as the integrity of the biodiversity of its ecosystems.
As the Marcos regime delivered its 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, 2026, amid the Filipinos’ decreasing trust in his governance, the administration must finally prioritize the drafting of a law within the ambit of the Business and Human Rights framework. Such measures must hold companies genuinely accountable for their community-oriented transactions and stop its direct and indirect forms of harassment against environmental and human rights advocates.
Furthermore, the Marcos regime must now prioritize the legislation of the Anti-SLAPP Bill (House Bill 5592), development of which started more than two decades ago, in the 15th Congress of the House of Representatives.
#DefendTheDefenders
#StopCorporatePlunder
#AntiSLAPPBill
#AssertCivicSpace#AssertPeoplesRights