In defense of land rights: A monitoring report on land conflicts in six Asian countries 118 business” and “readiness for integration.” In many cases of land investments, the government is a facilitator or even a direct partner. Thus, the government often fails to perform its mandate to regulate business, particularly when the rights of people and communities are being trampled upon. Finally, there is a dearth of responsive mechanisms to address land and resource conflicts. Only with aggressive and sustained lobbying and advocacy can these conflicts be addressed and prevented. One way to interpret this is that this is a result of bureaucratic inefficiency or a lack of political will to address legal, administrative, and judicial hindrances towards the completion of land and resource reforms, and the harmonization of agency jurisdictions. However, another way to interpret this is that the multitude of loopholes and bottlenecks have been deliberately installed to enable the reversal of gains in land and resource reform, and to facilitate the entry of corporate interests in land and resource governance. After all, impunity has characterized the rule of law in Philippine society in recent times. It is in these times that the barrel of the gun has been pointed at the very people in need of the most protection. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the findings and analysis during the joint ANGOC-CHR forum, the following recommendations are put forward: For Government: n Address the root causes of land and resource conflicts: complete land and resource reform programs and ensure tenure security for the rural poor. n Institute an effective and efficient mechanism to resolve overlapping claims on land. n Ensure the integrity of safeguard mechanisms that regulate land investments by integrating the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP BHR) in land and resource governance. n Enhance the awareness of government on land rights as human rights especially the military. ANGOC For Businesses: n Comply with government regulations to ensure the sustainability of their investments. n Engage business on discussions related to the UNGP on BHR.