The barricade camp, communities, and groups against mining in Sibuyan strongly condemn the arrest of Fabert “Nonong” Reyes and the 19 counts of libel cases maliciously filed against him.

This is but the latest in a string of harassment that the defenders of Sibuyan are suffering at the hands of those who have huge business interests in the natural resources of the island.

Fabert, or Kuya Nonong to his family and friends, is a staunch advocate of the anti-mining campaign in Sibuyan Island and is at the forefront of the struggle to protect “Our Common Home”.

At around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, he was arrested by the police and brought to a detention facility in San Fernando town.

The arrest was made upon the order of Judge Manuel Gerard Tomacruz of the Regional Trial Court Branch 158 in Pasig City.

The court, which is hundreds of kilometers away from Sibuyan, set the bail at P10,000 for each case.

This is clear harassment against an environmental defender and an attempt to quell the struggle of the Sibuyanons to protect the island from plunderers.

We call for the immediate release of Kuya Nonong and the cancellation of all proposed and ongoing mining projects in Sibuyan Island.