Philippines

A municipal judge in the Philippines dismissed charges against nine Ifugao Indigenous people who are members of the Didipio Earth Savers Mulitpurpose Association (DESAMA). DESAMA has long claimed that the charges were trumped up in an attempt to intimidate and harass Indigenous people who oppose construction of an OceanaGold mine in their community.  Mine construction has displaced Indigenous landowners and threatens the water supply in this agricultural region.

Citing the documented negative effects of mining operations on indigenous communities, Ifugao Congressman Teddy Brawner Baguilat is pushing for a new mining law that respects and protects the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The OceanaGold mining company, which is building a mine in the Philippine community of Didipio, has announced plans to use $140 million from one of its New Zealand operations to restart and speed up construction of the Didipio mine, even as the Philippine Commission on Human Rights has recommended that the government revoke the company's license there. The mine is the subject of Global Response campaign and threatens the Indigenous inhabitants of Didipio and the forests of the mountain.

The following letter from Christopher Louie Ocampo, of the Commission on Human Rights, Philippines, was sent to Cultural Survival's campaign partner Jeff Nettleton, of the organization PIPlinks.

Cultural Survival is celebrating good news with the Indigenous Peoples of Didipio in the Philippines! The Philippines Human Rights Commission has asked the government to consider cancelling an Australian company’s mining permit because of “gross violations of human rights” that they have committed against

Joan Umaming Carling has been an indigenous rights activist in the Philippines for 20 years, and has been associated with the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance (CPA), an indigenous organization, for more than 12 years. Thanks in part to her work there has been a growing recognition of indigenous issues in the Philippines, but also a growing repression from the government. In the five years since Gloria Arroyo became president, 115 activists and journalists have been killed by armed men who are widely believed to be working for the government.

Indigenous groups in the Philippines are hoping that president-elect Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will make good on his campaign promise to investigate illegal mining activities that affect Indigenous communities.

In response to Aquino’s April 26 campaign pledge, Manon Peter Duyapat, Chairperson of Didipio Earth Savers Multi-purpose Association and one of the Indigenous Peoples’ representatives to last year’s United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) summit, said, “We welcome Senator Noynoy’s concern over the devastation brought by mining

During the first United Nations International Decade on the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004), there were a number of positive developments for the world’s indigenous peoples. Many countries adopted legislation concerning land, resources, culture, language, education, justice, intellectual property rights, and in some instances, legal pluralism, autonomy, and self-governance. In 1989, just before the decade began, the International Labor Organization adopted Convention #169 on indigenous and tribal peoples, and since 1996 the U.N.

Traditional religious beliefs and customary laws have enabled the Kankanaey of Besao in
northern Philippines to sustain their land's natural resources despite current challenges.

A women's organization in the Philippines used an environmental campaign to create a worldwide trend that helps artisans compete in the global market.

When indigenous peoples came together in Manila, Philippines, in December 2000 for the International Conference on Conflict Resolution, Peace Building, Sustainable Development, and Indigenous Peoples, they wanted to create a concrete re

An interview with Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

Even with the advent of international declarations and legal instruments that promote indigenous peoples’ rights, discourses on policies and programs affecting indigenous peoples continue to surface in academia and more proactively in international civil society movements. One of the vital concerns is indigenous peoples’ education that is discussed vis a vis human rights and policies on traditional knowledge.

In many parts of Asia, parks—including sanctuaries, totally protected areas, and heritage sites—are found within indigenous peoples’ traditional territories.

Due to the shrinking rainforest and diminished plant and animal wildlife in Mindanao, the Higaonon indigenous people are impoverished, struggling even to provide basic food to their community.

An unusual beam of light slashes briefly through the dark forest. Immediately, two alimaongs (Higaonon warriors) investigate.

In November 2000, Cultural Survival was pleased to welcome Philippines TAFT Special Project Coordinator Datu Efren Mandipensa to our Cambridge offices, and to present him with a check for $3,000 to support his community's reforestation

Many of those involved with the mining industry, or with mining related issues will by now be aware of the Mining Minerals and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD) being managed by the International Institute for Environment and Devel