Delivers immediate assistance to over 3,500 families
Tubay, Agusan del Norte/ February 2021 – TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) and its nickel JV company, Agata Mining Ventures Inc. – in partnership with the Villar SIPAG Foundation Inc. – delivered over Php1.4 million worth of rice during a joint relief operation in several Caraga locations. The initiative, which aimed to provide assistance for thousands who were affected by extreme floods, comes in the aftermath of Typhoon Vicky – a recent natural calamity that brought torrential rains to the region.
Typhoon Vicky made landfall in the Philippine at the tail-end of 2020 and caused major flooding and devastation, severely affecting families all over the region. A total of 61,047 families or 259,858 individuals were affected in 301 barangays, according to a report published by the Region XIII Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.
Hand-in-hand
The tripartite team was composed of TVIRD and Agata’s Community Relations personnel, and was assisted by Villar SIPAG’s CARAGA unit, which helped coordinate the concerned local government units in identifying beneficiaries.
The joint effort mobilized resources and delivered over 700 sacks of rice to 3,534 families – which is estimated to benefit close to 17,000 people. The humanitarian mission was conducted in affected areas covering Barangays Ampayon, Baan 3 and Sto. Niño in Butuan; towns of Cabadbaran, RTR, Jabonga and Las Nieves in Agusan del Norte; Rosario and Bayugan in Agusan del Sur; and Tagbina and Bislig in Surigao del Sur.
Both mining companies’ Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) budgets are earmarked yearly for the sustainable development of its beneficiary communities. In view of the devastation and destruction brought by the recent typhoon, part of TVIRD and Agata’s SDMP budgets for fiscal year 2020 was realigned in aid of communities outside its jurisdiction.
“We thought this would be a good way to help our many friends in CARAGA. Although we are located in a different region, this demonstrates that mining companies work hand-in-hand for communities in need,” said Kahlil Pope Tabernero, TVIRD Information, Education and Communication Officer in its Balabag facility in Zamboanga del Sur.
Critical assistance
“In all my life, I have never seen nor experienced such extreme flooding. Like me, maybe that is why most people in Rosario did not evacuate immediately, despite local government warning. Everyone was surprised that after merely three hours, the water was head level in almost every barangay except in our población,” recalled Toto, a 43-year old resident of Rosario, Agusan del Norte.
“We are grateful for the help that was extended to us. We are thankful to these private companies. Not everyone is ready to reach-out, especially now that we are in a pandemic,” he added.
Immediate response
Agata has invested heavily in its disaster response protocols and in building resilient communities in its host municipalities of Tubay, Jabonga and Santiago in Agusan del Norte. It has trained its own Emergency Response Team composed of local residents who devote their spare time to rigorous weekly exercises on life-saving skills such as Fire Extinguishment, First Aid, Fire Fighting and Rescue.
“We know that what we are giving right now is not enough to compensate for everything that people lost and experienced. But we do hope that this assistance could still help. Rest assured that Agata, TVIRD and Villar SIPAG will always help in every way they can, ” said Agata Community Relations Officer Mario Bantasan.
TVIRD has facilities in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte and Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur while Agata operates its nickel laterite project in the CARAGA-Surigao mining region. Both companies are aligned with the Villar SIPAG Foundation’s thrust of countryside development.
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