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The Philippines is a place of magnificent natural beauty but it is still probably most well known to the world at large for the former First Lady’s shoe fetish. Sadly, not much has changed since the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, as the gap between rich and poor remains great.
Filipinos suffer desperate income inequality with the poorest 20% of the population accounting for a mere 5% of the country’s total income . One in three people still live below the poverty line .
Oxfam Australia supports poor and marginalised communities in the Philippines who are adversely affected by development bank projects such as dams and power stations, and mining operations. We also respond when natural disasters strike to provide life-saving assistance.
Our focus
Monitoring development banks
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank, are major drivers of economic development, especially large-scale infrastructure projects, in the Philippines. But these banks often fund projects that undermine people's rights, creating detrimental outcomes for poor communities.
As part of the Manila-based NGO Forum on ADBM, we actively monitor development bank projects, and work with other organisations to support communities adversely affected by these projects.
We aim to influence bank policies and practices, and lobby donors, including the Australian Government.
Abuses by Australian-owned mines
The Mining Ombudsman was set up by Oxfam Australia to investigate reports of human rights violations, environmental degradation and poverty as a result of Australian-owned or financed mining operations. In the Philippines, the Ombudsman operates within several communities.
Proposed mine in Didipio
Many in the Didipio community are concerned that a proposed mine – due to begin production in 2009 – may cause environmental damage, endanger their health and displace them from their land. Since 2002, the Mining Ombudsman has worked at the community's request to ensure their voices are heard.
Marinduque Island mine
Marcopper started mining on Marinduque Island four decades ago, and for more than 20 years, dumped millions of tonnes of toxic mine waste into its seas and rivers. The Mining Ombudsman has demanded that mine owners face up to their responsibilities, clean up their mess and pay compensation to the community.
Rapu-Rapu Island mine
Since September 2006, the Mining Ombudsman has conducted extensive field investigations into allegations of environmental and social mismanagement by Australian company, Lafayette Mining Limited (who have since gone into voluntary administration) on Rapu-Rapu Island.
Responding to emergencies
We have responded to several natural disasters in the Philippines, most recently to the devastating typhoons that swept through the country in late 2006, affecting some 1.5 million people. We distributed emergency cash grants to evacuees, provided blankets, jerry cans and sanitation supplies, and safe water to the thousands of people taking shelter in evacuation centres.
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Stories & photos
Profits over people
Cyanide spills from an Australian-owned mine in the Philippines have robbed poor fishing communities of their livelihoods, as Oxfam Australia Media Coordinator Laurelle Keough explains.
Didipio divided
A proposed mining operation in Didipio, a remote village in North Luzon, is dividing community opinion about the costs and benefits of development. Oxfam's Shanta Martin reports.