Behind the Mask of the Moratorium

“It almost feels as we are on a ‘death row’, we do not know yet when the first bulldozer will start flattening our land…but we know it’s happening”

A member of Brooke’s Point lowland Pala’wan communities (Source of image and quote)

In solidarity with the Palawan indigenous peoples and local communities facing massive environmental degradation, in spite of the newly signed 50 years mining moratorium,

Rainforest Rescue, asks you to sign the letter by May 30th.

Palawan is a UNESCO declared Man and Biosphere Reserve.  Since time immemorial, this unique natural paradise has been sustainably managed by the local Indigenous peoples, such as the Batak, the Pala’wan and Tagbanua. The Island hosts the highest number (6) of protected areas within the entire country. The global transition to a low-carbon future, and the resulting international demand for minerals such as nickel, is casting a dark shadow over the future of Pala’wan tribes. 

On March 5th 2025, due to intensive pressure by national/international advocate movements and the local Catholic Church, the Provincial Government has passed a 50 years mining moratorium, barring all new mining applications.  However, existing extractive activities have been allowed to continue.  Moreover, the companies, which were able to secured a Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSA), before the moratorium, have been given the ‘green-signal’ to pursue their planned operations.  Now, hundreds of indigenous Pala’wan communities, as well as some of the most isolated upland groups, face the immediate risk of seeing their farms, forests and settlements being washed away by mining extraction. 

In support of threatened indigenous peoples, farmers and the fisher-folk, sign the letter by May 30th.

https://www.regenwald.org/csl/76692b78-f383-4df4-814f-be085bec09eb/en 

The letter, along with the names of your organization, will be submitted to the President of the Philippines, the Provincial Government of Palawan, to various authorities mentioned at the beginning of the letter, and to the UNESCO.