When the rains fall over Madrid, a quiet rural town in the southern Philippines, muddy brown torrents sweep through rice fields and homes.
For Beth Samblado, the floodwater is a recurring reminder of a struggle she and her neighbours in Surigao del Sur province have waged, largely alone, against nickel mining.
“We’re asking the government again to please stop the mining,” the 51-year-old told This Week in Asia in Filipino from her modest eatery in the town centre.
Years ago, she and her fellow parishioners led mass protests, urging officials to reconsider the licences granted to mining companies.
But their pleas went unanswered. To this day, nickel mining continues unabated, Samblado says – and with it, the floods.
