About the project
In Aroroy, Masbate (Philippines), the promise of gold has brought devastation instead of prosperity. Filminera Resources Corporation (FRC) is one of the Philippines’ largest operating gold ventures and, in partnership with the Canadian mining company B2Gold, operates the country’s largest gold mine.
Since operations began in 2008 — financed through loans from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited—the large-scale open-pit mining has destroyed mountains, watersheds, farmlands, and fisheries. The impacts have been severe: rivers polluted, croplands submerged in a 500-hectare tailings pond, and stockpiles of low-grade ore—towering as high as 50-story buildings—looming dangerously close to homes and schools. Agricultural lands have been reduced to cratered pits, forcing many to abandon farming and migrate in search of work, with women often leaving families behind to labor as domestic workers elsewhere.
Farmers and fisherfolk, the backbone of the community, have lost their sources of food and livelihood. Women, who depend heavily on fisheries and coastal resources, have been particularly affected. Meanwhile, those who speak out face grave risks. Environmental human rights defenders report death threats, surveillance, criminalization, and even libel charges—one arrest warrant against a community leader was issued in 2019. These attacks restrict participation in environmental decision-making and deepen local conflicts.
About the community-led struggle
Despite these dangers, women have led a powerful resistance. Around 300 women from seven villages established the Marian Women Producers Cooperative, fighting to protect their environment while creating sustainable alternatives such as mangrove reforestation, bakeries, and other small enterprises.
With support from CRE, the cooperative and its allies conducted independent scientific testing of water, soil, and marine products. The results were used to file cases under the Philippine Clean Water Act and pursue accountability against the mining company. The CRE has also facilitated some security support for communities under threat.
Women from Aroroy. Credit: GAGGA Alliance
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