Addressing functional literacy in the countryside faces the same logistical challenges as providing basic necessities as a means to survive. In Zamboanga del Sur, a charitable NGO partners with TVIRD to bring the written word to far-flung Sitio Maglatin in Bayog municipality.
Since 2004, Subanon Chieftain Erdulfo Comisas has been a member of the Multi-Partite Monitoring Team (MMT) assigned to TVIRD’s Canatuan Project. Until today, the chieftain actively supports responsible environmental practices in the town that attributes its development to mining.
Students of Canatuan National High School in Siocon, Zamboanga Del Norte commemorate the People Power I anniversary in the upland mining community of Siocon Town.
Following the wreckage left by an Intertropical Convergence Zone that battered the municipality of Siocon – forcing the evacuation of nearly 3,000 residents and causing landslides that isolated the town – TVIRD and Siocon’s local government mobilized combined resources to repair the damaged Pisawak Spillway that links the town to the rest of the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The successful track record of TVIRD in Canatuan – as well as its genuine community engagement and environmental programs – have been recognized by the town of Siocon, the Subanons of Canatuan who comprise 30% of its workforce, national award-giving bodies and, as of late, the Subanen tribal leaders of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur.
Describing the tribal hall as a local hub for preserving Subanon culture, a tribal leader expressed his gratitude to TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) for providing them with the building – the first for the Subanons in Siocon town, Zamboanga del Norte province.
In preparation for the upcoming decommissioning of its Canatuan copper-zinc project in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, TVI Resouce Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) initiated a multi-agency intervention program to orient its workers on business opportunities as well as to prepare them in seeking alternative employment both here and abroad.
TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) continues to espouse professionalism and the highest regard for the mining industry’s safety and environmental standards, as witnessed by delegates from all parts of the country at the recently-concluded Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference in Baguio City.
