Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 2.1: Local Community Assistance
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Coordination Committee. JMACC initially focused on exposing
the myth that these projects would bring development and
prosperity to the Adivasi, especially employment, whereas in
fact they brought displacement and poverty. As a result of this
resistance they managed to stall the construction of 35 largescale
projects up to 2007. During this time there were constant
struggles, court cases, arrests, intimidation, and even killings
of activists by the police or mining companies. Through struggle
and resistance they had been able to develop their strategies
and tactics, which had included a focus on the importance
of reinvigorating pride in Adivasi culture and identity. 21
The subject of international networking will be covered in
greater depth in Chapter 2.3, but for now it is enough to say
that there are a number of different organizations who can
assist in broadening support out to the international arena.
This is particularly useful when the company in question, or
its investors, come from another country. Support groups can
provide access to the company head office and/or investors to
allow for direct advocacy. Sharing experiences, especially with
other indigenous groups, can be particularly useful at the international
level. It can also lend support in terms of publicity,
letter writing campaigns, funds, and expertise.
No Go Zones
As ideas, such as social license to operate and FPIC, have advanced
based on community concerns around the expansion of extractive
industries, there has been a parallel progress around the concept of No
Go Zones for such projects. Because extractive industries imply long-term
impacts on communities and natural resources, some places with mineral
potential may be so environmentally or socially sensitive that the risks
posed by development in these areas are too high. Several efforts have
been made to define criteria and norms for the establishment of No Go
Zones, and this debate has included environmental organizations such as
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 22
In practice, most of the efforts have been focused on defining criteria
and rules to protect sensitive ecosystems and to conserve biodiversity,
by excluding activities of extractive industries from protected or sensitive