Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 2.1: Local Community Assistance
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communal duty of care towards it. The second mainstream
economic worldview sees the earth as a resource to be used
for individual human consumption. 7 The more that the first
viewpoint is at the heart of a community’s strategy, the more
likely it is to stay unified and achieve its goal.
Another point raised was to prepare for all of the possible
outcomes of the struggle and not just the struggle itself. In the
case of the Amungme people opposing Freeport McMoran
in West Papua/Indonesia, the allocation of money from the
company to the community, as a result of their campaigning,
ended up causing terrible divisions in the community. In further
discussion at this conference, experienced participants
shared concerns on how the receiving of royalties or benefits
was likely to have the greater negative impact on community
unity than campaigning. Prior discussions are essential on
whether to accept funds and if so how to communally manage
any funds obtained. 8
Assuming the community insists on its right to free, prior,
informed consent—then it is important for the community to
mobilize to make sure the informing really is prior to any processes
starting. This is especially true if the community plans
to resist the project. The further a project progresses, the
more difficult it becomes to stop; generally, the more the company
invests and builds roads and infrastructure and spends
money, the harder a project becomes to stop. 9 The community
may hear rumors—based on offers made to individuals or
surveyors arriving—which should be followed up as soon as
possible.
So the first task is to search out information. Mobilize the
community, including looking for people who may have specific
skills or knowledge that would aid research. Find out as
soon as possible details about the company and the proposed
extractive processes. It is useful to know where the company
is from, who its other affiliates and shareholders are, as well as
the company’s history of social and environmental practices.
Company websites will have useful information (especially if it
is a publicly listed company), and the bigger the company the
more the information. There are other activist websites, which
will have useful information, and can connect the community