Canatuan facilities relatively unscathed by typhoon
Update on TVIRD project sites:
- Minor road repairs to be conducted in Balabag, Zamboanga del Sur and Agata, Agusan del Norte
- Employees affected in Pan de Azucar, Panay Islands but main facility is safe
- TVIRD employees contribute relief to employees and community in Pan de Azucar
Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte / November 2013 – The Canatuan copper-zinc mining and processing facilities as well as employees of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) in Zamboanga del Norte remained unharmed by Typhoon Haiyan (local codename: Yolanda) after the latter caused devastation to the central Philippine island group in the Visayas Region last November 8. According to reports, Haiyan had maximum sustained winds of 315 km/h and gusts reaching 380 km/h that left massive destruction due to the storm surge. The government estimates some 2,000 to 2,500 casualties while an earlier statement from United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos indicated fears of some 10,000 killed in Leyte alone.
“There are no adverse effects in Canatuan during the peak of Typhoon Yolanda’s approach to the Philippines. Our emergency response team, together with the survey division, has been closely monitoring the slope movement and its stability around the MPSA (Mineral Production Sharing Agreement) area,” according to TVIRD Exploration Manager James Jun Hernando.
Sitio Canatuan in Siocon Municipality is located in the country’s southern-most island group of Mindanao. Just last month, six days of heavy rain brought by an Intertropical Convergence Zone battered the municipality, forcing the evacuation of nearly 3,000 Siocon residents while landslides isolated the town from the rest of peninsula. TVIRD’s Civil Engineering Services (CES) group helped clear and repair the roads as well as assisted in relief efforts and the delivery of needed goods and medicines.
A roundup of TVIRD project sites
“Our employees and main facilities in other project sites are generally safe, save for some ongoing road repair and maintenance activities,” according to TVIRD Operations Vice President Jake Foronda. “This includes the Balabag Gold-Silver Project in Zamboanga del Sur, which is also not affected and is undergoing road repairs.”
Road rehabilitation work is also being conducted around the company’s Agata High Iron DSO and Nickel Project site in Agusan del Norte, restoring inland access to the fly camp. Both projects are under a joint venture agreement between TVIRD, Mindoro Resources Ltd. (MRL) and MPSA-holder Minimax.
Another joint venture project, the Pan de Azucar Pyrite Project in the island of Panay on the western part of Visayas, is undergoing clearing operations and restoration of other small infrastructures. The typhoon affected six employees who had to temporarily vacate the company’s facilities during the storm surge.
While only minor damages were reported, all employees and the main project facility, including its assets are presently safe. Some early community development projects like the nursery also sustained damages while structures like the school building remain intact.
Panay Island is home to close to 4 million residents, mostly engaged in fishing. According to reports, some 200 people have died during the recent typhoon. TVIRD is currently organizing the delivery of relief goods and other necessities to those affected.
Moving forward in Canatuan
“To date, the 74-km road that TVIRD maintains – and which connects the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte – have no occurrences of landslides and are 100% passable to any type of vehicle,” reported CES Manager Edilberto Nercuit who is a native of Siocon. He added that his team constructed a temporary detour below the Pisawak Spillway, which directly links the town to the rest of the peninsula.
“The company mobilized all necessary resources to make sure that the cut-off detour road we constructed at Pisawak Spillway is accessible,” he said.
The earlier calamity wreaked havoc to the municipality’s agricultural lands, in addition to blocking access roads. An initial report from Siocon Mayor Julius Lobrigas revealed that damage to agriculture and infrastructure had already reached Php136 million while a total of 5,517 families were affected in 23 out of 26 barangays (communities) of the town.
Also rich in natural resources, Siocon hosted TVIRD’s gold-silver mining operation from 2004 until 2008 in Sitio Canatuan. Currently, the company is conducting copper and zinc mining operations in the area – which is set to wrap-up by the end of the year.
“The existing facilities of the company like the Sulphide Tailings Storage Facility and its spillway remain intact and safe,” Engr. Foronda said. “The company’s dam and spillway are designed to endure the natural weather occurrences in Canatuan. Both are also engineered to withstand a possible extraordinary flood having a maximum rainfall capacity of 1,600 mm in 24 hours.”
TVIRD remains a pillar of strength for the community as it continues to implement its social and environmental programs for a holistic approach to sustainability beyond the life of its mine.