GRC’s Emergency Response Team mobilizes for relief operations in landslide area
Davao de Oro / February 2024 – In the aftermath of the recent natural calamity that struck the town of Maco in this province, Greenstone Resources Corporation – a wholly-owned affiliate company of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) – mobilized its Emergency Response Team to conduct relief operations and provide initial post-trauma assistance to affected residents in the area. The company’s ERT was led by Safety and Health Manager Aldrin Arieta, guiding the team through the devastation in Gold Mining Village, Zone 1, Barangay Masara, Maco Municipality.
A Call to Respond
No different from its host town of Tubod in Surigao del Norte, Greenstone acknowledges the need to help communities, particularly during times of calamities.
Internally, Greenstone promptly organized a company-wide donation drive across all departments for unused clothing, and procured relief goods. Following this, the company immediately mobilized in Davao de Oro to conduct OPLAN: Tabang Masara for affected households and residents.
“We are Filipinos. Our culture is rooted in resiliency and helpfulness. That is why we heeded the call to aid our friends and industry colleagues, especially the communities who needed immediate help,” stated Arieta.
During the relief operations, the ERT provided practical assistance by distributing relief goods to household evacuees and responding to the needs of landslide survivors. Additionally, team members are trained in mental health awareness, enabling them to offer comfort to individuals, including families of the victims, through initial post-trauma relief to aid in their recovery from the traumatic experience.
Closeness to Stakeholders
Greenstone is the newest member of the TVIRD Group of Companies, which has consistently been at the forefront during calamities. In recent history, the group launched OPLAN: Caraga, providing assistance to people affected by Typhoon Odette in the Province of Dinagat Islands.
Sister companies operating the Agata Nickel and Balabag Gold-Silver Projects also extended relief to communities in Caraga and the Zamboanga Peninsula during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The joint operation, involving Greenstone and the Villar SIPAG Foundation, assisted approximately 12,000 households through the realignment of the TVIRD Group’s Social Development and Management Program budgets, providing PPEs and food packs to those whose livelihoods were curtailed. Furthermore, it sourced rice and vegetables from community organic farms, which it helped create through its TESDA-accredited Mabakas Demo Farm School.
With the help of the VillarSIPAG Foundation, TVIRD’s synergistic response can now roll-out an even more integrated response with even wider coverage – benefiting the communities it serves on a broader scale.
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