Subanons complete first in series of training programs for TVIRD hosts
Poverty once drove Oscar Dandana, a Subanon lumad (indigenous people or IP)
from Canatuan, his ancestral homeland in the mountains of Siocon, Zamboanga
del Norte to try his luck in Manila. But like most undergraduate and unskilled
workers from the provinces who seek greener pastures in big cities, Dandana
only found frustration, loneliness, physical hardships, and meager pay. Unlike
the majority, however, he decided to return home – a move he is glad he made.
Thanks to a mining company that his tribe has partnered with, Dandana has acquired
new skills that could provide him a lifelong livelihood source for himself and
for his family.
Dandana is among the 14 IPs, including three women, who recently completed
the 18-day Electrician Training Program sponsored by TVI Resource Development
Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD), which will soon begin producing copper and zinc,
the second phase of its operations in Canatuan. Dandana was among the four program
graduates who were immediately hired by the company as an electrician-helper,
one of the many Subanons who will be part of TVIRD’s Sulphide Project.
Above, TVIRD Electrical Department Superintendent
Alfredo Gonzaga (in dark blue shirt), with the first batch of Electrical Training
Program graduates: "You will only become better in your trade through hard
work and continuous learning." Below, Oscar Dandana in his new job: "I
got employed by TVIRD to work on something that I really like, and near my family
at that!
"TVIRD has given me the opportunity to have a better life
with my family," Dandana said. "With my new job, my daughterson is
now assured that she will have an education, which I was not lucky enough to
have because my parents did not have the means that I have now. For this, I
am thankful to the company and to Adolfo Dalman who invited me to participate
in the training." Dalman, an IP himself, is a facilitator of TVIRD’s Community
Relations and Development Office (CReDO).
Theresa Limpin, CReDO manager, disclosed that the training – part of a series
that the company will undertake for members of its host community – seeks to
equip the Subanons with skills that would help them earn a living even outside
Canatuan. The training sessions, done in cooperation with the government-run
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), are conducted
after assessing the skills requirements of the company and in close coordination
with village tribal leaders.
Subanon electricians all. From left, Jimmy
Guihamban, Oedlydo Orpia, and Joey Patoh during one of the workshops: "We
know that with these newly acquired skills, we now have a better chance of finding
work anywhere in the country," Siocon Subanon Association Inc. President
Bonifacio Patoh said.
"We are in need of welders, fabricators, carpenters, masons
and electricians, especially now that we are constructing the Sulphide plant
and its support facilities," Limpin explained. "To make the locals
employable and competitive vis-à-vis applicants from other places, the
locals should first acquire skilled worker status and be able to pass the oral,
written, and on-the-job tests conducted by our engineers. Hence, they should
undergo training from our experts.
"Hiring Canatuan residents, especially those who are identified as holders
of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title, is pursuant to our agreement with
them that they should be given priority every time we hire people," she
added.
Alfredo Gonzaga, TVIRD Electrical Department superintendent, said the just
concluded electrical training course will be followed by a Level 2 training
program. He encouraged the participants to attend this next program, saying
that they will be able to learn more in it. "You will only become better
in your trade through hard work and continuous learning," he said during
their simple graduation ceremonies. “The company is ready to support you
in your drive to succeed by offering courses that will help you gain more knowledge
in different this fields."
One of the three IP women who graduated
from the Electrial Training Program receive her certificate of completion from
Gonzaga (extreme right). Also in photo are TVIRD Community Relations and Development
Office Manager Thess Limpin (woman in white) and TVIRD Mill Maintenance Manager
Ely Valmores (partly hidden) "What they learned here will, in the meantime,
be useful at home."
Heliodoro Valmores, TVIRD Canatuan Mill Maintenance manager, on
the other hand, said the Electrical Training Program "is just the beginning."
"Soon we will conduct the Plant Mechanic Training so that we will be able
to produce skilleed plant mechanics, or welders, that would help maintain the
Sulphide plant. Let me advisce you not to waste the opportunities for learning
being given to you. When you participate in the sessions, be serious because
you will surely benefit from them."
Apart from DandanaOscar, the three other graduates who were hired by the company
are Ryan Dalman, Jimmy Dandana, and Jerry Guinhamban. "Love your work,"
Valmores told the new hires. "Show your aggressiveness to learn and in
your work."
Ryan, father of a one year-old son, said his new job now makes him an independent
family man: "Now I can support my family. I do not have to depend on my
father to support them."
Valmores to the graduates: "This is
just the beginning."
Bonifacio "Boy" Patoh, president of the Siocon Subanons
Association, Inc., said he and the other tribal leaders appreciate the skills
training being provided by TVIRD. "We know that with these newly acquired
skills, we now have a better chance of finding work anywhere in the country."
When asked why the women who participated in the program were not among those
who were hired by the company, Gonzaga said that as of the moment the job requirements
are too heavy for women. "As soon as we have vacancies that will fit their
profile, we will surely hire them. I fully agree with Thess (Limpin) that women
are good workers. But what they learned here will, in the meantime, be useful
at home."
Oscar Dandana relates that he was in his early 20s when he left his home at
the foot of the fog- covered mountains of Canatuan to look for work in Manila.
He landed a job as a laborer in a rice mill. He had to carry dozens of sacks
of rice from the drier to be fed to the grinding machine. His salary wasn’t
even enough to support his own needs, but he couldn’t complain. For seven long
years, he endured constant body pain and the poor working conditions for fear
that he would no longer be able to find another job.
Oscar and only child, Joy: "With my
new job, my daughter is now assured that she will have an education, which I
was not lucky enough to have because my parents did not have the means that
I have now."
But when Dandana Oscar learned that his brothers, Greg and Roger,
and his sister, Gemma, had been hired by TVIRD to work in the Site Engineering,
Materials Management, and Environment departments, respectively, each earning
more money than he did despite the difficulties of his job in Manila, he decided
to come back home to Canatuan with the hope that he, too, will would be hired
by the company.
"My decision to go home was right," Dandana said. "I got employed
by TVIRD to work on something that I really like, and near my family at that!
The company also ensures workers’ safety and will not allow us to work if we
don’t follow safety rules and regulations. This is the exact opposite
of what I had to endure in my previous job in Manila!" (Lullie Micabalo)