LONG before OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc. (OGPI) commenced full operation of its Didipio Mine three years ago, a series of social-development programs has been in existence, providing benefits to residents of the mining village.
A memorandum of agreement was signed among the host village and 11 neighboring communities for the distribution and utilization of the Social Development Management Program (SDMP) funds coming from OGPI.
These gave birth to the “We Care” Program, spearheaded by steering committees representing Didipio Operations, the municipality of Kasibu and Barangay Didipio, to ensure a working partnership.
The SDMP, nicknamed “We Care” has six components that include environment, education, promotion of sociocultural values, health, employment, business development and infrastructure.
From 2013 to the second quarter of 2016, around P500 million was spent for the development of the host and neighboring communities. Recently, OGPI donated P43 million for the construction of a three-story senior high-school building on the Eastern Nueva Vizcaya National High School campus in Barangay Didipio to support the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) K to 12 Program in the mining village.
Another P10-million financial assistance was also donated to the DepEd in Region 2 by the mining company, as additional support to the same K to 12 curriculum implementation in 16 schools of Nueva Vizcaya and 18 schools in Quirino for a total of 34 additional beneficiary schools.
About P13.2 million was allotted for scholarships and subsidized salaries of 60 teachers.
It assisted and funded 10 cooperatives in establishing micro and small enterprises, some of which are agriculture-based. It also provided technical assistance to farmers in partnership with local experts.
The Didipio Community Development Corp. (DiCorp) was established on August 11, 2011, to assist the local community in creating a sustainable business partnership among enterprising locals.
DiCorp Chairman Henry Guay said the community-based business enterprise, composed of 391 Didipio residents, employs 372 local workers who offer services, like food catering, for the OGPI Operations and take charge in maintaining the 22-kilometer service road developed by the mining firm from Dibibi, Cabarroguis, Quirino, to the Didipio mine site.
The community enterprise generated around P848-million gross revenue from long-term Didipio Operation contracts from 2011 to 2016. DiCorp is one of the two top taxpayers in Nueva Vizcaya, next to OceanaGold.
“DiCorp is the best corporate partner that binds original Didipio dwellers providing services of world-class standards,” Guay said. Delta Earthmoving Inc. and other contractors were awarded around P9.1 billion worth of contracts by the end of the second quarter of 2016.
Some 107 km of road network were upgraded and maintained. The road has transformed what used to be a sleepy village into a progressive industrial estate. The direct employment of locals in road maintenance is a great advantage for residents who are always given top priority, including women who are assigned to manage road traffic.
OceanaGold Sustainable Agroforestry Inc., the mining firm’s agro-forestry arm, has already reforested over 1,300 hectares of land, planted 1 million trees and donated more than 500,000 seedlings in support of the government’s National Greening Program.
As of June 2016, 1,803 people were employed at Didipio Operations, 98 percent of whom are Filipinos. A total of P786.8 million was paid as salaries of employees from 2014 up to the middle of 2016, or a monthly average of P26.22 million.
An estimated P3.28 billion was paid as income, excise and local business tax from 2013 to mid-2016. The company was awarded in 2014 by the Bureau of Internal Revenue as the top taxpayer in Nueva Vizcaya
Image credits: Leonardo Perante II