Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC): The Philippine Experience By Sam Pedragosa, PAFID F ree, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) is the “principle that a community has the right to give or withhold its consent to proposed projects that may affect the lands they customarily own, occupy, or otherwise use”.1 International human rights laws recognize FPIC that protects communities from the violation of their rights, especially their land rights. As its name implies, it has three elements. It is free – consent is freely taken and freely given, and free from whatever influence or pressure. It cannot be bought nor sold. It is prior – meaning consent is given before the action for which you are applying consent is done. Lastly, it is informed – based on full and unimpeded disclosure. This means the information is true i.e., not borne of deceit. Without these three elements, FPIC will be nothing. FPIC in the Philippines The Philippine experience of FPIC is a mixture of successes and failures. Based on a presentation given by Mr. Sam Pedragosa at the Land Watch Asia Skills Share Session last 17 January 2014, in Quezon City, Philippines. For more information, you may contact Mr. Pedragosa at sampedragosa@yahoo.com. 114 FPIC is enshrined in at least two national statutes – the Mining Act of 1995 and the Forest Peoples Programme. http://www. forestpeoples.org/guiding-principles/free-prior-andinformed-consent-fpic 1 Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC)