-
The chief’s grandson. Despite his lineage, Marvin Edal is described as “warm, approachable and hard-working – one of the best employees of TVIRD’s Community Relations group.” (In photo): Marvin assists his grandfather, Timuay Casiano Edal, in managing administrative duties for the Subanen Tribe.
-
Market day. Food procurement officer Dionel Barut personally goes to the market to choose fresh meat for the kitchen, mess hall and staff house. TVIRD provides free meals to its employees, especially the technical staff who are mostly from other communities.
-
Dionel oversees the kitchen staff during mealtime. Prior to joining the company in January 2020, he was working in a five-star hotel in Bonifacio Global City.
-
Dionel’s demeanor makes every other employee comfortable. Aside from his work as admin assistant, Dionel sees to it that the needs of the workers are met.
-
Community facilitator Marvin M. Edal is in the frontline of TVIRD’s distribution of relief packs to communities affected by calamities and the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Marvin is a member of the Subanen tribe and is happy working for TVIRD. He facilitates dialogue between the company and the community as well as helps in relief efforts in the province of Zamboanga del Sur – TVIRD’s host province.
A testament from three natives of Bayog Town
Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur / June 2021 – He once labored for an illegal small-scale miner of this town during the late 2000s. Carrying a sack of gold ore on his frail back, he either walked through the rain or under the heat of the sun just to bring the precious cargo into his boss’ makeshift processing plant. Yet, what Marvin M. Edal got was a meager Php20 for his daily one kilometer walk over a rolling terrain. And he did not even have mandated health benefits!
In 2010, Marvin took the opportunity to work with the exploration team of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) – a legitimate, large-scale mining company. After a brief hiatus to finish his high school, he rejoined the company in 2015 as one of the facilitators of TVIRD’s Community Relations Office (CRO) in Balabag.
During disasters and calamities, his team has always been on the frontline in providing relief assistance to the communities: food packs, housing materials, medicines, kitchen utensils – and even comforting words in times of hopelessness. “Marvin is good on this. He might be young, but we can depend on him,” said CRO head Khalil Pope Tabernero.
A member of the Subanen tribe, Marvin is happy working for the community. His one wish, though, is for TVIRD to start its mining operations as soon as possible so it can continue helping the needy in Bayog and its neighboring towns.
“That has been his dream ever since,” said his colleague Lope Dizon.
Happy and content
Like Marvin, Admin Assistant Dionel Barut loves his work at TVIRD. Dionel, 23, is a BS Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate. He heads the company’s chefs and kitchen staff in crafting the menu and preparing food served daily at the mess hall.
“I like working here because TVIRD takes care of its employees. Besides the good pay, much importance is given to our health and safety,” he observed.
Besides leading the kitchen crew, Dionel is also the food procurement officer in charge of purchasing goods and supplies for the kitchen, mess hall and housing accommodation facilities.
A son of a farmer and a native of Bayog, he once worked in a five-star hotel in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig but left and joined the company in January 2020.
“Kaming naa sa Mess Hall malipay na kung makita namo nga kontento ang mga kauban nga nangaon sa mess hall. Kung mag-thank you sila sa amo, mas malipay mi.” (We who are assigned to the Mess Hall are happy seeing that fellow workers are content with the food we serve. We are even happier to hear them say ‘thank you’ to us,” he said.
Giving our best
“TVIRD values its workers, especially those who are honest in doing their work,” according to Julito M. Bate, a carpenter and father of seven children. Bate was already a construction worker even before joining the company in 2012 but his experience with TVIRD led him to give his best in all his works.
“Giving our best is key to staying long in any company we work for,” he said. When TVIRD started development work in 2018, Bate was asked to join its engineering team.
“I wish TVIRD would stay long in our town. While other companies have shut down their businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, work in TVIRD Balabag has not stopped,” he added.
The pandemic’s effect on labor
The 2020 Labor Market Report of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Zamboanga Peninsula revealed full year statistics of affected worker as the pandemic forced business establishments to implement flexible work arrangements (41,902), temporary closures (123,822) and the retrenchment of 1,378 employees. In the region’s mining and quarrying industry, close to 4,000 lost their jobs.
Hardest hit, according to the DOLE report, is the services sector where close to 130,000 workers were affected, mostly in the tourism industry.
Marvin Edal, Dionel Barut and Julito Bate have joined the ranks of more than 680 workers in TVIRD’s Balabag facilities. They are young, but they have the skill and commitment recognized by a company that equally values hard work, honesty and integrity.
*******
