GRC initiative empowers communities with income and livelihood opportunities
Surigao del Norte / January 2024 – Greenstone Resources Corporation (GRC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) and operator of the Siana Gold Project, successfully concluded the GRC-Mabakas Techno Demo Farm School (GRC-MTDF / “Mabakas”) Livelihood Training Program for 2023 in Surigao del Norte. A total of 127 scholars graduated during the recent commencement exercise, earning their national training certificates (NCII) in accredited courses such as Animal Production (Poultry and Ruminants), Heavy Equipment, Rice Competitiveness Enhancement, Cacao Production, and the GRC Community Emergency Response Team (GRC-CERT) Training.
The advent of Mabakas
The Mabakas Graduation Program has garnered recognition from both the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Villar Foundation for its role as a partner in implementing the livelihood skills program.
The name ‘Mabakas’ directly translates to ‘industrious’ in the dialect of the Mamanwas, indigenous tribesmen of the Caraga Region where Greenstone operates. The institution is the only TESDA-accredited farm school supported and operated by a mining company – for which there are two under the TVIRD Group: one in GRC and one in the Agata Nickel Project.
Mabakas is also a TESDA-registered livelihood training center and an accredited learning site of the Department of Agriculture. It offers a range of technical, vocational, and agriculture-based livelihood training courses aimed at providing business and employment opportunities to people in the company’s host and neighboring communities. Greenstone carries on the legacy of Agata’s Mabakas Techno Demo Farm with its similar initiatives, this time with dedicated programs specifically tailored for its beneficiary communities in Tubod and Mainit, where the mine is located.
Livelihood for all
“As a company, our goal is not only to provide what is due to the people, but also to propagate and sustain the benefits we are giving back to them,” stated Greenstone President, Engr. Anthony B. Quijano. “The Mabakas Techno Demo Farm will not only offer employment opportunities but also empower individuals to establish their own livelihood,” he added.
For 2024, the GRC Community Relations Office has allocated an initial Php3.7 million, representing 39% of its Social Development and Management Program budget under the Enterprise Development and Networking Program. This allocation is intended to support approximately 700-1000 livelihood scholars, a goal toward which Mabakas aims to contribute. And in order to generate more graduates, Mabakas plans to introduce more courses in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). These new courses include Freshwater Fish Product Development and Marketing, and Animal Production (poultry-chicken) NCII from TESDA.
The demo farm also offers specialized trainings intended for tourism-related livelihood and capacity building, including Financial Literacy and Human Resources Development Training.
For the future
Aligned with the TVIRD Group’s core philosophy of “Starting it Right, Keeping the End in Mind,” Mabakas aims to become a livelihood hub across Greenstone’s three host municipalities of Tubod, Mainit, and Alegria. The company plans to establish a chocolate factory and center for high-value crops, as well as a creative handicraft center that uses raw materials like Water Hyacinth, Bamboo, Rattan, Nito, and Abaca.
The company likewise signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Tourism. Following in the footsteps of the Agata Nickel Project – the Mabakas Demo Farm is positioned to transform Greenstone into a pioneering destination for mining tourism in the coming years.
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