Strong partnership with PDRRMO promotes awareness in mining region
Tubay, Agusan del Norte / March 2018 – Agata Mining Ventures Inc. (AMVI), a joint venture project of MRL Nickel Philippines Inc. and TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD), has once again partnered with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in conducting successive of three-day community trainings to prepare its host communities in Tubay, Santiago and Jabonga Municipalities. The recent exercises are a part of a series that began in 2017 focused largely on emergency response in times of calamities.
The first leg of the Family Disaster Preparedness training was conducted in the Municipality of Tubay on September 29, starting off with Barangay Binuangan from September 29 to October 01 with 53 participants, Barangay Tagpangahoy on October 05 to 07 with 51 participants, and Barangay Tinigbasan on November 09 to 11 with 50 participants.
Two successive trainings were again conducted in January this year: in Barangay Colorado, Jabonga (33 trainees) and Barangay E. Morgado, Santiago Municipality (43 trainees).
Agata Community Relations (COMREL) Superintendent Jonathan Bañez said that the disaster trainings are very relevant since these are far-flung barangays – and in times of emergencies – response from the local government may take some time.
During the sessions, all 230 participants were taught the basics of disaster preparedness. It is also notable that throughout the duration of the trainings, majority of the participants were women – signifying the important role that they play not only in their respective families but also in their communities.
The training module focused on immediate response at the onset of typhoons and flash floods, including where to go and who to reach. Moreover, the trainees were taught first aid, flood preparedness as well as planning before, during and after the calamity.
“We also have a module specifically designed for the barangay officials and community leaders. They are trained to manage their people in times of disasters and to facilitate relief operations,” Bañez added.
Equipping the locals with necessary skills came in especially handy, considering that the region is located along the usual pathway of tropical storms and typhoons all year long. While everybody hopes that they won’t have to use these, the trainees are nonetheless confident that they already know how to properly apply these skills when the situation calls for it.
Emergency preparedness
Through the years, Agata’s commitment to safety has helped cement its reputation as the major partner of the provincial government in preparing communities for natural disasters. In 2016, the Agata-PDRRMO partnership rolled-out disaster risk reduction and management trainings for over 160 participants composed primarily of barangay officials, health workers, teachers, and civilian volunteers. The training modules included Basic Life Support, Standard First Aid and Mass Casualty Incident Management.
Moreover, Agata regularly participates in the annual Caraga Mining Symposium and Safety Competition where it competes with different mining companies in the region on emergency response scenario, along with other best safety practices.
The company also established the Agata Community Emergency Response Team (ERT) in order to put necessary systems in place to safeguard people and properties from imminent risk. This has led to AMVI’s various awards from regional medical and fire competitions in recent years.
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