‘Company helpful to the community’ says IP group leader
Timuay Pantalleon Endong (left): “From what I have seen, the issues raised against the Company are false.”
Officers and members of the Western Zamboanga Peninsula Subanen Association, Inc. (WEZPESAI) were profuse with their expressions of respect and admiration for TVI Resource Development (Phils.), Inc. for its social development projects at its host IP community in Canatuan, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, even as the recent visitors to the gold-copper mine noted the Company’s responsible mining practices.Antonio Lagahit, chairman of Barangay San Antonio in R. T. Lim town, Zamboanga Sibugay Province, said TVIRD is not only helping the community in achieving sustainable development – but is also helping Subanon youth gain access to a better education, towards a better future. “Sa akong pagbisita diri sa TVI(RD), akong nakita ang mga nindot na programa… sama paghimo sa eskuwelahan. Isa kining maayong pag-asa sa mga kabataan. Ug uban pa nga nahimo nga programa diri sa, Canatuan. I hope tuloy-tuloy ang mga anindot na programa na nabuhat sa TVI diri sa Canatuan (During my visit here in TVIRD, I have seen the excellent programs, like the construction of school buildings and other projects here in Canatuan. This is one good source of hope for the youth. I trust that all these developments being done by TVIRD in Canatuan will continue),” he said.
WEZPESAI is a group of mostly indigenous tribal chiefs based in Zamboanga Sibugay, one of the two provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula adjacent to TVIRD’s host province. Several barangays (the smallest political unit in the Philippines) are among the Company’s impact communities. Many in the group were not able to contain their concern that despite TVIRD’s efforts to improve the quality of life in and around Canatuan, some sectors of civil society still try to discredit the Company.
“Dili gayud diay tinuod ang among nadungog nga ang TVI(RD) dautan. Sa among nakita sa mga presentasyon, layo ra kini sa nanggawas na balita sukad pa sa una (The negative things we have been hearing about TVIRD are therefore not true. As we’ve seen during the tour, the reality is far from what had been reported ever since),” stressed Timuay (Subanen tribal leader) Ricardo Amoran.
For Timuay Pantalleon Endong, tribal chieftain of R.T. Lim town, the “concocted” stories about TVIRD cannot be believed if one could only see the actual situation: “Ang istorya sa gawas nga dili kuno maayo ang TVI(RD) apan sa akong nakita dili diay tinuod ang maong isyu sa maong kumpanya. Sa akong kabahin maayo makatabang sa komunidad sama sa kalsada ug uban pa mga proyekto (The stories being spread around is that TVIRD is not good; from what I have seen, the issues raised against the Company are false. The Company has been helpful and good to the community like the good road networks and other projects),” Timoay Endong said after the tour.
A total of 41 officers and members of WEZPESAI headed by Timuay Endong took advantage of the Mine Tour being offered by TVIRD to interested groups or organizations in line with the Company’s Open Door, “This Mine is Yours”, Policy.
Commented TVIRD President Eugene Mateo: “We have initated the Mine Tour program to let people see for themselves what an actual mining operation is about. A lot of misinformation has been spread around about the industry, based on ideological biases, in some cases, and vested interests like small-scale mining, in others. But people are basically smart, and they can’t be fooled, when they see for themselves. So we think the real view is gradually getting out, and we will continue to open our doors to anyone who wishes to see it.”
[If you or your group wish to participate in the Mine Tour program, please click http://www.tvicanatuan.com/minetour.html. Please note that there is a waiting list, so please give us as much notice as possible.)