The Buaya tribe from this town, particularly those from Tawang community and its neighboring villages, participated in an educational discussion on mining last September 25, 2005.

This was after residents from the affected communities of the mineral exploration activities by Cordillera Exploration Co. Incorporated (CEXI) requested a discussion on mining especially that the said company has pursued a Momorandum of Agreement (MOA) with some pro-mining individuals in the said area.

The tribe addressed its request to the Kalinga Adhoc on Mining, of which the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) Kalinga chapter is a member. The said discussion was then initiated by CPA. Over 100 individuals attended the discussion. Many raised the questions on the definition and scope of exploration, having understood it only from the word itself. Neither the CEXI conducted consultations with the communities to discuss its purpose. Earlier, the tribe submitted two petitions against the mineral exploration which encompasses their ancestral domain to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Tabuk.

The educational discussion helped the communities to know more about large scale mining, as it has concretized their view and understanding of corporate mining. The CPA staff discussed exploration, wherein the communities were astounded to know that this is the actually the first stage of mining operations. This realization further beefed up their decision to oppose the exploration. The CEXI has applied for exploration in some of 9,332 hectares within Conner in Apayao province and Balbalan. Specifically the affected communities will be those who are near Mt. Laukon which is the main area for the said exploration. Affected communities from Apayao also had made their petition against the exploration. Abigail Bengwayan / CPA Public Info