and the forests – as farmers, gatherers of non-timber forest products. With the destruction of these resources, the indigenous women will be deprived of their viable sources of food, and livelihood. The operations will also endanger food and water sources, impacting living conditions and already leading to social unrest. The risks of pollution, erosion, siltation, flash floods, landslides, and other seismic geo-hazards are also very high. Proposed Question:  What measures does the government take to ensure the sustainable access of indigenous women to their livelihood, especially in the context of development projects, such as mining projects? Right to Health 12. Despite the efforts of the Government to provide the access of health to indigenous women, especially through the adoption of the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) in 2009, the situation of indigenous women in several places in the Philippines remains as a concern. The access of the indigenous women to basic health services, such as the provision of health care for indigenous women has been a challenge for several years. The indigenous women are dependent on their environment as the source of their livelihood as well as traditional remedies for health issues. Therefore, a healthy and sustainable environment provides them with assurance for their well-being. 13. The presence of mining activities in the indigenous people area has negatively affected the right to health in several accounts. Firstly, the clearing of ancestral domains for mining operation means the loss of the access of the indigenous community, including the indigenous women on their source of the traditional remedies. Secondly, the mining activities are exposed to the possibility of having negative environmental impacts, such as the water pollution, due to the chemical waste and the loss of water catchments due to the forest clearing. Mining activities also have the potentially to cause landslide and floods. 14. According to the independent study on the Tampakan Gold-Copper Mines in Tampakan municipality, Mindanao, which is scheduled start its operation in 2019,5 the project will have impact on the right to health of the indigenous community in the area. This possibility is due to environmental problem which may occur as a result of the project. The study also mentioned the possibility of a long term effect, especially related to the (eventual) waste material. Proposed Question  What steps does the government take to ensure the right to health of indigenous women, including their access to traditional remedies in their ancestral domain? Right to Food 15. The mining operation has direct impact on the right to food of the communities living in and around the mining activities. Obvious examples are the cases of Brgy. Didipo, Kasibu, Nueva Viscaya where thousands of hectares of land planted to rice and citrus, and other cash crops were converted to mining areas. Oceania Gold has claimed their river used for agricultural use.6 5 See « Human Rights Impact Assessment of the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project » page 48-60 6 Pasimio, Judy. Mining and Violence against Rural and Indigenous Women in the Philippines. Lilak (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights), 2013. Retrieved from http://lilak.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MiningVAW_online.pdf 4