Creating safer, more sustainable communities and reaffirming its commitment to its stakeholders
Empowering young minds: spreading smiles and a better future through education. (In Photo): Greenstone IEC Senior Supervisor Lanz Goña hands-out school supplies to a young student in one of the company’s supported institutions.
Makati City, Philippines / March 2025 – Since its maiden gold and silver mining project some 20 years ago, TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) has consistently supported the country’s pillars of development in its host communities: education, employment, livelihood, health and wellness, social infrastructure, and a sustainable natural environment. It has endeavored to go beyond responsible mineral extraction to provide communities the adequate momentum to achieve development that is truly inclusive – all in addition to delivering its commitment to both the national and local government as well as its associated line agencies.
The Canatuan experience
The Canatuan mine in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte is the company’s first project to come on-stream in 1995 – and which serves as a testament to the transformative capability of responsible mining. Once an isolated, underdeveloped area, Sitio Canatuan became a hub of progress, owing to increased economic activity brought by TVIRD operations, which in turn brought investments, support for health and education and employment, which reached 1,200 at the height of the company’s operations. In addition, TVIRD supported 10 schools with close to 4,000 students, as part of its Social Development and Management Program (SDMP).
Key TVIRD projects include the electrification of Canatuan and eight neighboring villages as well as fishing vessels for reformed former insurgents who wish to live in peace as fishermen. It likewise built and maintained a 140-kilometer road network that connected Siocon to the rest of the Zamboanga Peninsula, paving the way for the mobilization of people and goods to and from the once sleepy town and effectively elevating Siocon from a fourth-class municipality to first-class status.
As part of its final rehabilitation plan, TVIRD likewise transitioned the local economy from mining back to agriculture and agroforestry – an enduring indicator that there is life after mining.
Agata transitions to sustainability
Directly following its 10-year run in Canatuan, which culminated its successful copper-zinc project in 2014, the company commenced operations of Agata Mining Ventures Inc. – its first foray into nickel in the Caraga mining region. Agata brought the TVIRD Group among the ranks of bigger, more tenured nickel producers in the country and likewise marked the immediate communities’ successful transition from mining to sustainability.
After its final shipment in 2023, Agata honored its social commitments by rehabilitating the environment and continuing to guide its beneficiary communities who were already self-reliant at that time. Earlier, Agata launched long-term livelihood programs, including the implementation of TESDA-certified farming, cacao production and the establishment of over 150 organic gardens that generate revenue for the community. It promoted agroforestry and planted over 600,000 trees as part of its rehabilitation to develop the former mine site into an eco-tourism destination.
And just like Siocon, the towns of Tubay and Santiago were raised from fourth to first-class municipalities while Jabonga progressed from fourth to second-class status – further validation that TVIRD’s strategy for social progress is the right one.
The Balabag Story
Balabag Hill in the town of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur was run by illegal small-scale mining operators for decades and crime was commonplace prior to TVIRD’s entry. These operators employed child labor and enslaved the indigenous Subanen Tribe in their clandestine activities that provided no benefit for the community nor for the government.
At the onset, the first order of business for TVIRD’s Balabag Gold-Silver Project was to conduct a massive environmental clean-up activity to condemn un-engineered mine shafts and tunnels as well as rehabilitate the tributaries that were polluted with cyanide, mercury and nitric acid. Since its development phase until its operations came online in 2021, TVIRD heralded a new era of environmental responsibility and community empowerment.
To date, the company has planted over 400,000 trees as part of its progressive rehabilitation and introduced sustainable livelihood through its SIDLAK Demo Farm School, which provides agribusiness and skills training for the community.
Improved infrastructure, educational institutions, and thriving mini and micro enterprises have reshaped Bayog’s socio-economic landscape, owing to the Balabag Project’s continued support for downstream industries – and which contributed to the reclassification of the town from third to first-class status. Moreover, the company’s programs likewise underscore its commitment to balancing its business objectives with its responsibility for both people and the environment.
Greenstone’s ongoing transformation
Greenstone Resources Corporation (GRC), TVIRD’s wholly-owned subsidiary and operator of the Siana Gold Project, brought the same transformative program to its host Tubod, Mainit and Alegria Municipalities in Surigao del Norte. With a strong focus on reforestation, agroforestry and stakeholder engagement, Greenstone has turned previously mined areas into productive agro lands for the community.
Through the Mabakas Techno Demo Farm, Greenstone provides free and accessible livelihood training in organic farming, food processing, and sustainable agricultural practices aimed at strengthening the local economy and promoting resilience and sustainability in the community. Since TVIRD restarted Greenstone’s gold and silver operations in Siana in 2022, Tubod and Alegria have advanced from fifth to fourth-class while Mainit progressed from fourth to third-class status, fueled by responsible mining and community-centric development.
A Legacy Beyond Mining
TVIRD’s approach to responsible mining demonstrates that true economic progress lies at the intersection of achieving business objectives and fulfilling the needs of society. More than ever, its future-oriented approach of Starting it Right, Keeping the End in Mind is validated by the success of its holistic programs and the enhanced quality of life of its vast communities.
And as the company expands and strengthens its presence across the country, it remains committed to its mission of helping build communities that thrive beyond mining, leaving behind an empowered people, a healthy natural environment and a lasting positive impact that will endure long after the life of the mine.
As of December 2024, the TVIRD Group employed close to 2,600 personnel across its various projects in different stages of development. It likewise supports 67 schools with close to 13,000 students – in addition to its more than 8,500 scholars over the years. Furthermore, it has successfully engaged its indigenous hosts in a meaningful development: Subanons, Subanens, Manobos and Mamanwas – lumads who have since imbibed on their respective paths to self-determination.
