ABSTRACT
Around and near the Padcal mine are small communities of indigenous Ibaloy and migrant Kalanguya and Kankanaey. The form and dynamics of Philex Mining Corporation’s relations with these surrounding communities have been defined by several factors: a) the nature and number of development projects that the company delivers through the social development management program (SDMP) as mandated by law, b) the amount of resources involved in the implementation of these projects, c) the interests and agenda of project participants, d) the nature of claims for entitlement which include royalty payments from the mine, e) conflicts among indigenous groups themselves, and f) compensation for loss of land and water, which families and groups attribute to the company’s decades-old operations. The company has forged agreements for claims payments entitlements with families and clans, and organisations representing indigenous interests. The process of claim-making by indigenous families and other groups has gravitated toward the impending closure of the Padcal mine. Individuals and groups employ certain strategies and invoke indigeneity and locality to claim for entitlements including indigenous royalties from the mine.
