Paralegals, FPIC watchdogs set to track rights violations linked to rushed consent rules, destructive projects

Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (Panaghiusa) and Legal Rights and Natural resources Center co-organized “Panumduman 2026: Palihan hinggil sa Revised FPIC Guidelines,” bringing together the Indigenous Peoples and advocates from 12 provinces. This national paralegal training from September 22 to 24 equipped participants to monitor and document violations anticipated under the revised Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), especially in the context of the government’s critical minerals and energy expansion.

Panaghiusa reiterates that FPIC is not a bureaucratic formality. It is a cornerstone of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and a living expression of their self-determination. FPIC cannot be diluted, fast-tracked, or weaponized against Indigenous Peoples’ communities it is meant to protect.

The Indigenous Peoples and advocates participating in Panumduman 2026 have raised their collective voice against the revised FPIC Guidelines advanced by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). These new rules threaten to erode customary consensus-building, shorten timelines for decision-making, and bypass remedies that safeguard Indigenous rights. Such changes come at a time when the Philippine government is aggressively pursuing the Pax Silica, opening corridors for critical minerals extraction that cut sharply across ancestral domains.

Projects such as Pax Silica, the Olongapo Solar Power Project of Aboitiz, and nickel mining operations by Flowjenmar Mining and Development Corporation and Zamboanga Nickel Corporation exemplify the dangers of development without genuine consent. Communities have reported being excluded from consultations, denied comprehensive information, and forced to confront projects only once construction has already begun. These practices violate the essence of FPIC and expose the Indigenous Peoples to forcible displacement, environmental destruction, cultural degradation, and human rights violations.

For the Indigenous Peoples, land is life. Their vigilance, continuous investigation, and defense of their ancestral lands reveal how threats to the environment translate into direct assaults on collective rights. 

We proudly recognize the 30 graduates of Panumduman 2026 as community paralegals and FPIC watchdogs. They are prepared to defend their ancestral lands, document abuses, and challenge policies that undermine Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights. Their testimonies confirm the urgency of this struggle. 

At a time when the state and its agencies trample upon the rights of the people, the role of community paralegals is indispensable. The lessons and solidarity built in Panumduman 2026 will remain weapons of defense, tools for communities to resist violations and assert their collective rights to ancestral lands and self-determination.

Panaghiusa stands firm that FPIC must remain a safeguard, not a shortcut. We call for a moratorium on destructive projects in ancestral lands. We urge solidarity from civil society, academic and church institutions, youth, and media to amplify Indigenous Peoples’ voices and resist rights violations.

This struggle is not only for the Indigenous Peoples. It is a struggle for the Filipino people, for land, for the environment, for justice, and for the future. Uphold genuine FPIC! Defend ancestral lands! Assert self-determination! #