Residents and environmental advocates in the Philippines are calling on the Marcos Jr. administration to stop planned mining operations by Altai Philippines Mining Corporation on Sibuyan Island (a biodiversity-rich island in Romblon province, roughly 150 kilometres south of Manila), following a local council's endorsement of a 42-hectare mining project. The Sangguniang Bayan of San Fernando approved a motion on 17 July in favour of Altai's mining feasibility declaration, prompting days of noise barrage protests and an online petition that gathered over 1,000 signatures within 24 hours. Critics warn the project threatens the island's forests, watersheds, and coastal ecosystems, and note that a cease-and-desist order issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2023 — after residents formed a human barricade to block Altai's mining trucks — remains in force.