TVI Resource Development Phils. Inc. (TVIRD) welcomes the encouraging feedback it
received from a group of Subanon indigenous people (IP) whose members said they are
convinced that mining can bring development to the IPs in Mindanao upon seeing for
themselves TVIRD’s mining operations and development programs at Mt. Canatuan in
Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.The 25-man Council of Elders of the Bayog United Subanen Organization (BAUSO)
arrived in Canatuan last December 3. After a briefing by Mine Manager Yulo Perez on
TVI’s operations and responsible mining practices, the group toured the tailings
impoundment facilities — built according to international standards — and saw how these
facilities effectively protect the environment. The Council of Elders also visited the
Subanon community in the area and noted the development that has taken place since
TVI commenced operations last year.
BAUSO is the organized tribe of 6,000 IPs currently seeking to obtain their Certificate of
Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) for Mt. Balabag located in Barangays Depore and
Diplahan at the boundary between the Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay
provinces. Issued by the National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP), the
CADT-holder status legitimizes the IPs’ ownership of their ancestral domain.
TVIRD, the first foreign-funded mining operations that reached production stage after the
Philippine Mining Act of 1995, has recently commenced exploration of Mt. Balabag with
the drilling of the first of the seven preliminary holes for the testing of ore deposits in the
area.
According to BAUSO Chairman Ramon Lumigue, Mt. Balabag is currently mined for
gold by about 2,000 small-scale miners. He pointed out the socially and environmentally
harmful practices of small-scale mining and said it is time for a change towards
responsible mining practices that have minimal impact on the environment and provide
maximum benefits to the communities.
The BAUSO elders echoed the observations made by previous visitors who came from
various sectors including the Church, government and media to witness TVIRD’s mining
practices at Mt. Canatuan. Merlita Benzala, a church worker, who is also among the
BAUSO Elders said, “I’ve heard all the negative stories about TVI. But what I’ve seen is
just the opposite. What I’ve seen is how the company protects the Canatuan environment
and the benefits it gives to the IPs and the non-IPs.”
