BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Her natural love for green environment made it easy for a science junior from the Nueva Vizcaya General Comprehensive High School in this capital town to win a poster-making contest showcasing a large-scale mining project during the recent “Celebrate Didipio!” festival.
Held at the municipal auditorium here, the event was initiated by Australian mining firm OceanaGold (Philippines). A budding artist, Chynee Nikole Roxas has been a multiawarded student for her interpretations of various themes in a number of painting competitions she has previously participated in at the grassroots or national level.
Asked to describe her winning piece, the 15-year-old from the capital town said that the positive outputs derived from the first large-scale mining project that prospered in Nueva Vizcaya have given a number of promising developments, not only for her province but also for the whole nation.
“As a science student, we learned that, practically, everything that man needs to live is a mining product. From his basic needs like food, are cooked and processed by kitchen wares made of metals. The pump that withdraws water from the ground is made of metals, too. Our housing materials, including those used to construct schools where we study and the churches where we pray be they are wood or concrete, were logged and processed, respectively, using metal chain saws and concrete mixers.
Our clothes are woven and tailored using sewing machines with metal needles. “Of course, there are negative angles in every mining operation but an environment compliance certificate (ECC) could only be issued by the Environmental Management Bureau after a thorough review of the application. These were the basic elements of my drawing,” she said. Prominent in her contest piece is a zipper-like image that unveils a series of images showcasing a mining project, from road development, reforestation, clean water, housing, school buildings, a church and manpower.
Ramoncito Gozar, OceanaGold (Philippines) senior vice president for Communications and External Affairs, lauded the young artist’s interpretation of the Didipio mine at the upland town of Kasibu.
“The young girl has clearly implied in her winning piece the real picture of developments in the Didipio mine. Her academic knowledge of environment and ecology has helped her portray the real score in the mining industry. She exemplifies how intelligently the youth of today look at their future,” Gozar said.
“In our study of earth science, precious metals like gold and copper are most-used in terms of technology and industrialization. Our modern world is now very dependent on these metals, like in our communication gadgets which use much of them. Without these raw materials, I could not imagine how we can be connected to the rest of the world and how our homes be energized to recharge our popular cellular phones and tablets. How can we live without them?” Roxas asked.
She added that while she is a natural environmentalist, she respects the way large-scale mining companies manage their operations in accordance with the mining law.
“I believe that mining firms that invest huge amounts [of money] could not afford to unwittingly violate mining laws and be totally shut down like a big joke. For a developing country like the Philippines, mining is a great source of sustainable income, not only for the stakeholders in the community but for both the mining company and the government, as well. That is why we go to school for free,” Roxas said.
Image credits: Leonardo Perante II