Lake Sebu, South Cotabato – “We need a peaceful life, clean water, and a healthy environment.” “Barangay Ned is a paradise that must be cared for, not destroyed by mining.” “As a community, we promise to defend our human rights.”
These were the resounding voices of the residents of Barangay Ned during the Solidarity Reflection and Celebration of International Human Rights Day held on January 7, 2026. Organized under Project Paglingap, a program of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel dedicated to empowering Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs), the activity created a safe space for residents to share experiences, unify their calls, and assert their rights against extractive operations in their community.
For decades, Barangay Ned—home to T’boli and Dulangan Manobo communities—has faced threats from coal mining operations that residents say have devastated the environment and disrupted their way of life. During the gathering, the community recounted ongoing intimidation, coercion, and pressures from mining companies, emphasizing that their fight is about more than livelihoods; it is a matter of survival, dignity, and justice.
Despite claims that the community had consented to mining, residents insist they have not surrendered. They continue to resist the exploitation of their ancestral lands, stressing that the environmental, social, and cultural costs far outweigh the promised benefits.
The recent aerial inspection by South Cotabato provincial board members—including Vice Governor Arthur Pingoy, Board Members Sarse Atam Jr., Sambog, and Causing—made the scale of destruction undeniable. From above, the mining site reveals a scarred landscape: open pits, denuded forests, and silted rivers. The devastation is not hypothetical—it is visible and growing.
Daguma Agro-Minerals, Inc. (DAMI), the company operating the site, is seeking to expand its annual coal extraction from 3 million metric tons to 5 million metric tons, a move that threatens fragile slopes, watersheds, and ancestral domains. Residents warn that this expansion could worsen landslides, flash floods, and soil degradation—already pressing threats in this geologically sensitive region.
Beyond environmental degradation, the community highlights unfulfilled promises from DAMI, including relocation sites, ambulance services, and infrastructure support. Instead, massive coal trucks now traverse local roads, destroying infrastructure and increasing hazards for residents. The past is also marked by tragedy: in 2017, ten tribal members, including a respected leader, were killed in conflict rooted in resource disputes—an incident residents remember as a painful consequence of unbridled extraction.
The human and ecological cost of mining, they argue, is compounded by opaque ownership and broken commitments, leaving the community to bear the burden while the benefits are extracted and shipped out of the province. The call is urgent: their rights, lives, and cultural heritage must be respected, and their ancestral lands protected.
For the people of Barangay Ned, the solution is clear: stop coal mining, listen to the community, and prioritize life over profit. They urge local and provincial leaders to stand with history, culture, and the environment—not a company with a record of social conflict and environmental harm.
“Pakinggan ang komunidad! Itigil ang coal mining! Ipanalo ang kinabukasan!”—Hear the community! Stop coal mining! Protect the future!
The residents’ plea is more than a local issue—it is a test of political courage, environmental stewardship, and moral responsibility for South Cotabato. As public consultations and provincial inquiries proceed in 2026, the eyes of the community—and the nation—are on the province’s leaders. Will they choose extraction or protection?
For the watersheds, forests, and Indigenous families of Lake Sebu, the answer must be unmistakably clear: protect life, culture, and the land that sustains them.