Prosecutors in the Philippines should dismiss criminal libel complaints, including those filed by a mining company, against four rights advocates in Nueva Vizcaya province, Human Rights Watch said today.
In July 2026, the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation filed a criminal complaint for cyber-libel against two lawyers representing local communities. The complaint accused the lawyers of defaming the company through their statements on Facebook and on a radio broadcast in which they alleged that the company did not consult residents affected by the company’s operations, including farmers and members of the Indigenous Bugkalot/Ilangot tribe. Two community leaders also face cyber-libel complaints.
“Philippine prosecutors should dismiss criminal complaints filed by companies to silence communities raising concerns about their business operations,” said Lian Buan, Southeast Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Philippine legislators should revive bills that would make it easier for the authorities to block such criminal lawsuits from proceeding.”
Cyber-libel, defined as libel “committed through a computer system or any other similar means,” is a criminal offense under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, punishable by 6 to 12 years in prison. Under Philippine law, prosecutors can dismiss criminal complaints, including for libel, for lack of evidence.
The lawyers, Fidel Santos and Edgardo Balgos, represent residents of Kasibu, a town in Nueva Vizcaya province. The residents filed a petition on July 14 before the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources to cancel the company’s permit for mining exploration, alleging it had not adequately consulted the communities. The residents said in their petition that they have a Certificate of Land Ownership Award that confirms their land rights as agrarian reform beneficiaries, and that their area is protected watershed under local laws.
In the company’s complaint against the lawyers, filed on July 2, the company said that it had consulted with two communities twice in March 2024, before it was granted an exploration permit on June 25, 2025, covering 4,455 hectares encompassing different villages. The company said it has a certification from the Philippine National Commission on Indigenous Peoples that its permit area does not overlap with ancestral domain, a designation under Philippine law for territory used by Indigenous communities since time immemorial.
The pattern of criminal libel suits against the community leaders and their legal representatives have the effect of being so-called SLAPP suits, Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation, Human Rights Watch said. “They are filing cases one after the other,” Santos said. “They targeted the leaders first, and now their lawyers.”
The cyber-libel charge against the lawyers has the effect of undermining their right to freedom of expression, and the residents’ right to legal representation during disputes, Human Rights Watch said. “As their lawyer, I have a responsibility to advocate for their cause,” Balgos said. “But this [criminal libel case] creates a chilling effect, because if their defender is being harassed, then the more afraid they are.”
The Philippines: Rights Advocates/lawyers in Mining Areas Face Prosecution
