Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

106 Pitfalls and Pipelines: Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries
with others who share an interest in the company, including in
its home country if it is a multinational (see List of Resources
in the Appendix).
Research the legal procedures for company applications,
and any legal constraints or company policies that may act as
safeguards. If available, get a copy of government maps showing
the status of concessions. These can often be found on
government websites, but this may involve a visit to a regional
government office. Make sure that the officials verify the
copy of the request with the date and a signature for future
reference.
The next step is to mobilize in the community with the
information gathered. Share the information, ideally at an
open event, and then start to plan. If the community already
has a strong organization then it could take over planning,
but if there is none then one should be formed around the
issue. A strong local organization is crucial to success. If it only
starts with a few concerned individuals, who have a greater
concern for community interests over their own, it can build
from there. Try to involve all concerned people and sectors in
the community, especially community leaders if they are not
already involved. Try to take time initially to think through
how a new organization will function, ideally preparing a
simple group constitution in case of any future conflict, covering
what will happen if the company tries to infiltrate and
subvert the organization. Any organization will probably end
up with a small number of active leaders, but make sure there
is good communication, with regular open meetings and that
if people live in remote areas there is a method to clearly communicate
with them as regularly as possible.
Once these stages are complete, it is time to educate; first
within the wider community and then to other potential allies.
Copy the materials that have been collected—on the company,
processes and laws—and create appropriate education
materials from them. Printed materials, such as leaflets and
brochures, are useful within the community and with neighboring
communities. Pictures are particularly good at conveying
the potential impacts of similar extractive processes. These
days access to educational films on file-sharing websites can