Speaking Up

“We, the Tagbanuas of Narra, are entitled to have a voice in how our land is used.” Sylvestra Dadison is a community leader of the Tagbanuas, a community living in Narra, the Philippines. It is on her community’s land that a mining company has started operating. “If no one speaks up, indigenous people will always be marginalized,” she adds.

According to Philippine law, the mining company must pay one percent of its profit to the community. The community wants to use this to invest in public services such as health facilities, roads, and education. But before they do that, they need to understand the data in the mine’s contracts. How do you figure out how much one percent actually is?

It’s important we understand the information because our future plans for the community depend on that

This is where Bantay Kita, partner organization in Hivos’ Open Up Contracting program, comes in. Bantay Kita works with indigenous communities to improve their understanding and use of data in mining contracts. This way, access to data will eventually allow the community to claim its rights.

From inclusivity to responsiveness in public procurement

Bantay Kita is one of the organizations attending the 2019 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit in Ottawa, Canada. Are you in Ottowa? Don’t miss the session Beyond Inclusion! From inclusivity to responsiveness in public procurement. Bantay Kita will talk about their experiences working for inclusion of underrepresented communities in open contracting.