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Dipili river originates from Barangay Sigacad and runs over 18 kilometers to join Sibugay River at the outskirts of Barangay Salawagan. It is the major source of water for irrigating the rice lands of Bayog and neighboring Sibugay Province. Meanwhile, Depore River is a smaller river with a length of 10 kilometers.
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EMB’s Engr. Karlo Dullin expressed the agency’s support to TVIRD’s Adopt-a-River Project. He also asked those living near the two rivers to support the project since it is essential to sustain the livelihood of farmers in Bayog and its neighboring towns.
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“This is a project worth emulating and should be supported by all,” said a resident of Dipili regarding the project, which aims to maintain both Rivers and is part of the company’s Annual Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (AEPEP).
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TVIRD employees, together with Dipili and Depore residents – men and women alike – cleaned the two rivers and planted bamboo propagules along the riverbanks.
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TVIRD personnel regroup at the end of the day’s event in Bayog – host town of the of the company’s Balabag Gold and Silver project, which is the fourth mining project of the company in the island of Mindanao.
TVIRD Balabag Project launches major clean-up program for Depore and Dipili Rivers
BAYOG, Zamboanga del Sur / May 2022 – “Clean water and clean air are the best gifts that we could leave our children,” highlighted the speech of Chairman Danilo Sauclom of Barangay Depore – host of TVIRD’s Balabag Gold and Silver Project – who expressed the paramount importance of a clean and sustainable natural environment during the recent launch of the company’s Adopt-a-River Project.
Supported by the government’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Zamboanga Peninsula, the project aims to improve the physical condition and to prevent further degradation of the town’s Dipili and Depore Rivers.
Sauclom, a member of the Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) and a known environmentalist, underscored the importance of a clean environment by saying “it could live without people, but people could not live without it.”
He likewise appealed to the barangay officials, residents and TVIRD employees in the audience: “We should dedicate ourselves to the protection of our rivers, creeks and the environment in general for our children’s sake. Without these, we all know what will happen to our heirs.”
Prior to TVIRD
Sauclom also recalled that Dipili River was once named as the cleanest river in the Philippines. “Unfortunately, this is no longer true today. The influx of hundreds of illegal miners up in Balabag in the early 80s until the mid-2000s and the toxic wastes they dumped into our rivers and creeks polluted and killed it,” he added.
Prior to TVIRD’s entry into Balabag, the place was run by illegal mining operators who unloaded large amounts of mercury, cyanide and nitric acid into the local tributaries. They also left several un-engineered tunnels that posed as geological hazards to the surrounding communities.
Dipili River originates from Barangay Sigacad of this municipality and runs over 18 kilometers. It joins Sibugay River at the outskirts of Barangay Salawagan and is the major source of water for irrigating the rice lands of Bayog as well as the rice lands, fishponds and mangroves in several towns of neighboring Sibugay Province. Meanwhile, Depore River is a smaller river with a length of 10 kilometers.
TVIRD’s Adopt-a-River Project aims to maintain a one-kilometer stretch of both Rivers and is part of the company’s Annual Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (AEPEP) to ensure the project’s success.
“These rivers are ours”
Emphasizing that Dipili and Depore Rivers belong to Bayog, Sauclom concluded his speech by saying, “these rivers are ours to protect and preserve.”
For his part, Engr. Karlo Dullin expressed EMB’s support to the latest environmental project of the company. He also asked his constituents, especially those living near the two rivers, to support the project since it is essential to sustain the livelihood of farmers in Bayog and its neighboring towns
“This project aims to maintain a steady and clean supply of water to town residents, and we could not do it without your support,” the EMB official said as he thanked the company for the project.
Dullin also shared that in Pagadian City, EMB has even adopted the four rivers of the city, emphasizing the importance these play not only for the environment but also for the farmers and fishermen in Zamboanga del Sur.
At the project launch, the company sent a contingent of its employees led by its own Environment Department. Together with Dipili and Depore residents, they cleaned the two rivers and planted bamboo propagules along the riverbanks.
“This is a project worth emulating and should be supported by all,” said a resident of Dipili.
Environmental track record
In Caraga, TVIRD’s Agata Nickel Project adopted the 29-kilometer Kalinawan River, which is considered the cleanest inland body of water in the region.
Meantime, the company’s first mining project in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte is currently on its final mine rehabilitation stage and is now five (5) times “greener” than before TVIRD operations started – having planted over 400,000 trees as part of its rehabilitation.
Siocon Municipality hosted both the company’s Gold-Silver (2004-2008) and Copper-Zinc (2008-2014) Projects for over a decade.
Currently, the Balabag Gold and Silver project is the fourth mining project of the company in the island of Mindanao. It started commercial mining operations in the last quarter of 2021.
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