Cordillera Indigenous peoples’ situation & continuing struggle

A presentation by: Santos MeroDeputy Secretary General

Cordillera Peoples Alliance

“WE DO NOT INHERIT THE LAND FROM OUR ANCESTORS; WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.”- A proverb common to indigenous peoples

The Region is part of Northern Philippines

Our CordilleraCentral group of mountain ranges in NorthernLuzon, Philippines

Dubbed as the "Watershed Cradle of the Northern Luzon Philippines"

Our Cordillera

Apayao

AbraKalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

BenguetBaguio City

Central group of mountain ranges in Northern Luzon – 6 provinces and 2 cities

Tabuk city

Total land area 1,829,368 million hectares

currently divided into six administrative provinces: ApayaoAbraKalingaMountain ProvinceIfugaoBenguet, Baguio City

La Union

Ilocos Sur

Ilocos Norte

Cagayan

Isab

ela

Nueva Viscaya

Pangasinan

Agno : 128,725.25 ha

Magat : 232,445.57 ha

Abra : 441,501.88 ha

Cabicungan : 5,888.06 ha

Bued : 18,473.81 ha

Aringay : 19,455.43 ha

Naguilian : 25,939.02 ha

Amburayan : 60,848.21 ha

Apayao-Abulog : 265,094.69 ha

Chico : 405,670.60 ha

Siffu-Malig : 150,258.12 ha

Silag : 12,244.05 ha

Zumigui-Ziwanan : 55,146.89 haNinety-nine (99%) or 1,821,691 ha of CAR total land area of

1,829,368 ha is serving as a watershed supporting domestic,

irrigation and infrastructure projects within and outside the

region.

WATERSHEDS

Watershed cradle of Northern Luzon

• 1.8 M hectares, of which 1.75 M is a mountainous terrain

• Populated by 1.7 M people, majority of which are Indigenous Peoples collectively known as Igorots (8 major ethnolinguistic groups)

• Main source of livelihood – subsistence agriculture

LAND AND PEOPLE

Issues - Plunder of Natural Resources and Destruction of Eco Systems , Human rights

Mining

Dam and otherEnergy projects

Tailings dam 5AMankayan

Logging

Human Rights

LEGEND

Map of mining application in the Cordillera

Source: MGB Website

Areas of interes by mining TNCs

Mining operation – 1936 – 2017 years of operation in Mankayan, new partner – Goldfields from South African Farsouth east project

Mining operation – 1903 – 2017- years of operation ongoing operation – small scale mining contract scheme

Mining operation –

1955 – 2017– Priority project Padcal expansion

3 ongoing operations

Impacts of large scale miningLandslide Colalo, Mankayan

• Luneta elementary school

Poblacion, Mankayan

June 9, 2009

THE TAILINGS DAM FAILURE

On August 1, 2012, TP#3 suffered a tailings spill where the tailings breached the lower portion of Penstock A and discharged into Balog River.

Main Dike

Power & Energy Projects

FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT (FPIC) ISSUES

Failure of companies to conduct prior consultations with communities on site

Failure to respect IP customary processes in arriving at decisions

Misrepresentation of the local situation through media, and control of information flow

Use of gifts for bribery and coercion Failure of gov’t to intervene to ensure FPIC Insufficient information, education, and

communication on the FPIC process, available grievance mechanism, and on the project itself to inform decision-making

Information provided solely by the project proponent

Militarization /Human rigths violations

James Balao

Alyce ClaverAlyce Claver

Pepe Manegdeg

Albert Teredaño

Cases of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, detainees, victims of torture, victims forced evacuation, rape

Militarization /Human rigths violations• Continuation of Vilification and Filing of Trumped-up charges

harassment of the PNP in Ilocos Sur to CPA leaders Windel Bolinget and Xavier Akien, including staff of the Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC). They had just come from Quirino municipality in Ilocos Sur after a meeting with local partner Save Quirino Movement (SQM).

Through the years, CPA and its network engaged in

Organizing, advocacy, campaigns, alliance, international solidarity. Mass action options were creatively utilized, ranging from indigenous system conflict resolution and bodong renewals, petitions –dialogue – lobby- congressional hearings and UN IP Rapporteur visits ; to militant rallies, barricades.

THE CONTINUING ASSERTION AND DEFENSE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS

For as long as the indigenous peoples’ lives are threatened, their struggles to defend their land and resources will continue, until their collective rights to land and resources and to self determination are fully recognized and respected.

THE CONTINUING ASSERTION AND DEFENSE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS

Congressional Inquiry Public Hearing on the Impacts of Mining