Town mayor invites company and its Subanon partners to showcase Canatuan Project
A big crowd mills around the TVIRD/SSAI booth to view photos of responsible mining operations in, and Subanon indigenous products from, Canatuan.
TVI Resource Development (Phils.), Inc. has indeed become an integral part of the social mainstream of Siocon, the host municipality of the Canatuan Project. Proof is TVIRD’s active and well-received participation – the company’s first since it began operations in 2004 – in the recent Siocon Foundation Day festivities on the invitation of the town mayor, Ceasar Soriano.
TVI Resource Development (Phils.), Inc. has indeed become an integral part of the social mainstream of Siocon, the host municipality of the Canatuan Project. Proof is TVIRD’s active and well-received participation – the company’s first since it began operations in 2004 – in the recent Siocon Foundation Day festivities on the invitation of the town mayor, Ceasar Soriano.
During the weeklong celebration, TVIRD showcased the Project`s responsible mining operations and its contributions to the socio-economic development of Siocon and the Zamboanga del Norte province. The company hosted a booth together with the Siocon Subanon Association, Inc. (SSAI), the representative of the ancestral domain title holders of Canatuan, thus underscoring the two organization’s strong partnership for growth and progress.
The SSAI/TVIRD booth was a huge crowd drawer. It exhibited photos of the company’s social development and environmental protection initiatives in Canatuan, as well as the different stages of gold and silver production. TVIRD staff members were on hand to explain the mining and milling process to interested visitors.
The booth also displayed the Subanon indigenous products from Canatuan, which included upland rice and other farm products, sleeping mats, native bags, rattan hammocks, and the much sought-after pangasi rice wine. Siocon residents were drawn to the sight and sound of Subanon women dancing to the beat of agong and kulintang indigenous percussion instruments.
SSAI’s Council of Elders and members participated in the Siocon Day Parade, the culminating activity on the last day of the event. The celebration likewise provided TVIRD managers and employees the opportunity to interact with respected Siocon citizens: local government officials, school administrators, media representatives, police officers, and church people.
In his speech, Mayor Soriano thanked TVIRD for its participation in one of the town’s most significant celebrations. He said he looks forward to a closer relationship with the company, which he believes is a major driver in the development of Siocon.
In February, Mayor Soriano cited TVIRD’s contribution to the local economy, acknowledging the company’s advancement of tax payments and its security and public works initiatives. “TVI has silently been providing employment and have without demur assisted in the maintenance of the roads… Its recent tax payment arrangement is another milestone,” he said.
Mayor Soriano also led 60 municipal officials on a Canatuan mine tour recently, which drew positive feedback.
“We are happy that the Mayor has welcomed us to Siocon,” TVIRD president Eugene Mateo remarked. “A mutually trusting private sector-government partnership undoubtedly bodes well for the continued development of this town – our town.”