BATARAZA, Palawan — With the 2025 elections fast approaching, calls are mounting for voters in this southern Palawan town to reject candidates who support mining, particularly those seen as complicit in deepening poverty and ecological decline.
A local environmental network composed of church leaders, indigenous communities, and youth advocates urged residents to scrutinize the track records of politicians, especially those perceived to have close ties to the mining industry.
The group criticized incumbent Mayor Abraham Ibba for backing large-scale nickel operations that, they said, have brought little meaningful development to Bataraza.
“Mining has been entrenched in Bataraza for years under Mayor Ibba’s leadership, but the community remains underserved and the environment increasingly degraded,” the group said in a statement.
“It’s time to stop electing leaders who side with corporations rather than constituents.”
Bataraza sits atop some of Palawan’s richest mineral deposits, making it a hub for extractive activity.
Yet locals point to worsening deforestation, river siltation, and biodiversity loss as signs that the cost of mining has been too high.
“This election is an opportunity to break away from failed promises and ecological destruction,” a member of a youth organization in the town said.
“We need leaders who value people and the environment over profit.”
Advocates are urging voters to choose candidates committed to sustainable development and environmental protection, warning that another term under pro-mining leadership could spell further harm for both the land and its people.
