ensures women’s access to information regarding policies on women, including programs, projects, and funding outlays that affect them. Furthermore, the Constitution in the Philippines recognizes the right to access to information at its Article 3, Section 7. The Local Government Code of 1991 also contains provision in relation to the duty of the State to provide information for its citizens, as well as ways to participate in decision-making and policy-shaping processes. The adoption of IPRA in 199713 was considered as a milestone in terms of protection of indigenous peoples’ rights. It guarantees the participation of indigenous women in the decision making process as stipulated in Section 26: “women shall enjoy equal rights and opportunities with men, as regards the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of life. The participation of indigenous women in the decision-making process in all levels, as well as in the development of society, shall be given due respect and recognition”14. Right to Livelihood and Right to Food The rural and indigenous women’s main source of livelihood is food-based and natural resource dependent – on forest, land, and water. They gather non-timber forest products, farm, and tend vegetable gardens. However, mining concessions have taken control of forest and agricultural lands, limiting, if not eliminating the access of these resources to women. Subsistence farms were also eradicated to clear the land for mining operations. This gravely impacts on their livelihood, and the food for their families. Brgy Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya and Tampakan, South Cotabato face human health and security risks as mining operations destroy natural resources and pay no mind to the aftermath. Dust has filled the surroundings of Brgy. Didipio as a result of the destruction of homes, forests, and mountains for mining operations15. Furthermore, the Didipio River has been reported to have increased toxicity levels as a result of heavy metal concentration spewed by the mines16.The mining area in Tampakan sits on fault line, which increases the risk of seismic activity that poses threat to the spilling of the dam for mine tailings and the contamination of flood waters with toxic mine waters. The communities and their resources are also made more vulnerable by the disasters caused by mining operations. The last years, Philippines has been a witness to increasing number of mining accidents. Mine tailings and dam spills have caused valuable bodies of water to become toxic, resulting to fish kills and further limiting access to clean water. As a common practice in Philippine communities, women cut back from their share of the food for the family when there is not enough food, even saving none for themselves, in order to ensure that all members of the family have enough to eat. Furthermore, mining operations also limit the opportunities of women to partake in income generation. Most of the mining employment opportunities (though mostly seasonal) were given to men. While there are a few income-earning opportunities made available for women, these forms of work do not necessarily contribute much to their development (eg, laundry, housekeeping for the miners and officers of the company). Furthermore, the increasing pressure to earn more substantively exposes them to The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), Republic Act No. 8371 – Issued in 1997, it recognizes, protects and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) and of indigenous peoples (IPs), emphasizing that they have priority rights within their ancestral domains. The Act includes key issues such as the rights of indigenous communities to self-determination and to their traditional land. It recognises the concept of collective ownership of lands, inland waters, coastal areas, and natural resources. It also established the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to ensure the protection and promotion of the interest and well-being of the Indigenous peoples in the Philippines, through the effective implementation of IPRA. The NCIP holds offices in the region, with the central office located in Metro Manila. 14 The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, Section 26. 15 Farah Sevilla, “Tracing the impacts of mining among women in Philippine rural communities: the case of Ifugao women in Didipio, Kasibu” (25 November 2014) 16 Ibid 13 5