Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Introduction
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In order to provide structure the issues are broken down
into chapters, although in practice it is somewhat artificial to
separate them out. For instance, using a multinational company’s
own grievance procedure is often a direct challenge to the
company, yet at the same time it is obviously engaging with an
international complaints mechanism (albeit a company specific
one), which then also requires organization at the local level.
Many more of these actions can co-exist together. For example,
a call for international support could assist in supporting a
local struggle by popularizing the issue in the media, as well as
mobilize a direct challenge to the company, via urgent actions,
and provide expert or financial support for legal challenges or
the filing of complaints. In fact, most indigenous communities
will use a wide range of these various strategies. In order to
easily assemble the key points together, however, Part 2 works
with the following categories as chapters.
Chapter 2.1 reviews actions taken at the local level by affected
communities. Obviously for indigenous peoples’ communities
all initial activities will be “local,” but the chapter acts
as a starting point for exploring what needs to be considered
at the community level in responding to a large-scale extractive
project. It then addresses networking, noting how such
local actions often lead to wider alliances. The chapter also
considers the concept of No Go Zones, with a box by Robert
Goodland, an environmental scientist specializing in economic
development. It is also illustrated by case studies on local activism
from the Philippines and Nigeria, the latter provided by
Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, of MOSOP.
Chapter 2.2 then moves on to cover networking, which
consolidates the work of affected communities at a regional,
national or international level. It looks at legislation covering
both indigenous rights and the extractive industries, as well
as dealing with human rights concerns at the national level.
It includes two detailed case studies covering Australia by
Brian Wyatt of the National Native Title Council, and Kanaky-
New Caledonia by Sarimin J. Boengkih, Agence Kanak de
Développement.
In Chapter 2.3, there is a consideration of direct challenges
to the companies or those investing in them. It reviews