Meet TVIRD’s Balabag Pioneer Team

Providing the people of Bayog a peek into responsible mining

Townsfolk and village officials of Bayog – a small farming town and one of the 26 municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao – are all praises for the team. “Travel in and around town is now a lot more comfortable, thanks to the company,” says Felisa.

TVIRD, which operates a copper-zinc mining facility in Canatuan, assigned Danilo “Danny” Halago to its Balabag Gold Project last April. A civil engineer by profession, he was tasked to help repair the network of roads to the company’s Balabag exploration site to, first, pave the way for the entry of the Exploration, Engineering, Environmental and Social teams evaluating the project, and, second, to facilitate travel and improve commerce for residents of communities along these roads. Unassuming and friendly, Danny has quickly gained the respect of the residents both for his pleasant personality and for the delivering on his assigned task.

“Danny is part of the TVIRD Balabag Pioneer Team whose work is not only to build and repair the roads but equally important, to allow the townsfolk to feel and reap the benefits of mining when it is done responsibly,” says Yulo Perez, TVIRD Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Perez, who spearheaded the company’s Canatuan Gold Silver Project and the current Copper-Zinc Project, is again leading the Balabag Pioneers in the hope of duplicating TVIRD’s successes in Canatuan in the areas of operational excellence, environmental protection, and community development.

The Pioneer Team also includes general foreman Eduardo “Pandong” Abiera, the dependable former Canatuan small-scale miner who joined TVIRD in its community relations initiatives during the Project’s early years. In Bayog, Pandong is proving he hasn’t lost his charm, endearing himself with villagers as he leads the Team in a regular feeding program for children at Day Care Centers in the villages of Pulang Bato, Dipili, Dimalinao and Depore.

“There is joy and contentment whenever I see happy children as we in the Team share sandwiches and glasses of fruit juice with these children,” he says. “The excitement on their faces and their cheering when they see the Team approaching them and the waving of their hands to say goodbye simply make our day.”

“Our task may be challenging, but it’s quite satisfying,” Danny says, beaming with pride. “Here, we are opening new roads and repairing old ones even as we are meeting new friends.”

Providing security for TVIRD’s men and machines is retired Col. Valentino “Val” Edang, a decorated and respected soldier from the Visayas who spent a great part of his life in Mindanao, including Basilan and Sulu. Val, also one of the pioneers of TVIRD Canatuan, provides added value to the Balabag Team. His deep understanding of the customs and traditions of the Subanon tribe, a major indigenous peoples group in the Zamboanga Peninsula, as well as of the other tribes in Mindanao has helped the Balabag Pioneers in gaining the trust of the people of Bayog.

Also with the Pioneer team is Nerissa Corilla, a Bayog native and head of the TVIRD Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO). This early, CReDO personnel have already endeared themselves with schoolchildren in the Balabag Project’s impact communities following CReDO’s distribution of school supplies last June in time for the opening of the school year.

Assisting Danny is Richard Abaday while Joel Cayabyab handles administrative matters and other paperwork related to the Balabag Project.

Based on records, the Balabag Pioneer Team has repaired almost 20 kilometers of municipal and barangay roads and spent millions of pesos for these infrastructure projects.

Bayog, one of Zamboanga del Sur’s top rice producers, is rich in natural resources. Mayor Leonardo Babasa, Jr. says four mining companies are poised to operate in his municipality of more than 30,000 people, 60 percent of whom are from the Subanon tribe.

“A few days ago, 168 Ferrum Mining Company, which will operate soon in my town, showed me the company’s approved Social Development Management Plan (SDMP),” Babasa says. “The community programs of large-scale mining companies like TVIRD and 168 Ferrum will undoubtedly benefit my people. The local government will also benefit from the presence of these companies because they will pay local taxes to support local government programs.”

“If people will ask me why I support the operation of large scale mining in my town, I will tell them that the support is anchored on the potential benefits these mining firms can provide my people and the local government as well as on the assurance that, being heavily regulated, these firms will protect the environment. Only large-scale mining operations have the capability to protect the environment.”

Berting Bunghas, a farmer and resident of Sitio Lantawan in Pulang Bato says “TVI(RD) has just entered Bayug but within just a short span of time, the company has had a tremendous impact on the improvement of the quality of life of his family. “The road that the company has repaired has made it easier for me to bring my products to the town center.”

Araceli Sumalpong, a resident of Sitio Maglatin, also in Pulang Bato agrees: “Before, Bagwis, my hauler horse, had a difficult time climbing the muddy and slippery road which looked more like a trail,” she relates. “Things are now much better. I was even hired by the company to haul fuel for the heavy equipment being used for the road repair.”

Employment, livelihood generation, educational advancement, infrastructure development – delivered by TVIRD’s Balabag Pioneer Team to the people of Bayog in just four months. And TVIRD has not even begun mining yet. (Lullie Micabalo)