Testaments to sustainable partnership

Real stories of real people from Southern Mindanao filled the Manila air during the Sustainability Report launch of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) last Thursday. The Manila launch is the culminating event after two other rollouts in Davao City on May 29 and Koronadal City on May 31.

SMI is a contractor of the Philippine government and holder of a financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) that manages the Tampakan copper-gold project in Southern Mindanao.

Aside from the Sustainability Report magazine, the event showcased the stories of SMI’s different stakeholders who benefited from the companies programs—on education, livelihood, healthcare, resettlement consultation and responsible mining advocacy campaign.

The event touched on “a-day-in-the-life” of a 73-year-old Blaan elder, Masalio Sumangay, who has witnessed all the changes that happened in her tribal community. Sumangay said during the dialogue with stakeholders that she felt better now that she was seeing progress everywhere and life for her people has become more comfortable.

Her daughter Dalena, one of the tribal chieftains, goes to many meetings to promote responsible mining and tell people about the benefits of mining.

Sumangay said SMI’s sustainable programs should benefit all tribal communities and barangay within the project area so that the indigenous peoples would not be jealous of the benefits that one tribe was enjoying.

The clip also featured Servanda Enojales, a barangay health worker; Rosario Pangilan, an abaca weaver; Ellen Mae Ambat, former SMI scholar and instructional manager/adult literacy teacher; Cristie Carillo, former SMI scholar; Allan Lorenzo, a resettlement committee member and councilor of Barangay Pula Bato, and Lolit Morales, an advocate from the ‘Seeing is Believing’ program and official representative of the Inter-Evangelical Christian Community Group of South Cotabato.

“People should hear the truth about responsible mining.” Morales said when she was asked to be part of the panel of stakeholders who shared her story in SMI’s Sustainability Report launch.

Lorenzo said that since 1997, the Barangay Community Development Fund amounting to P1 million (later increased to P3 million ) has helped them since the programs of the mining company focused on barangays.

Ambat, for her part, encouraged the youth to value education and avail themselves of the scholarship programs.  She wanted to give back to her tribal community and took advantage of SMI’s program to teach adults like her parents who wanted to finish secondary education.

Enojales, meanwhile, attested to the big improvement and accessibility of healthcare services by the residents of Kimlawis. She said, “I used to walk four hours of muddy road just to reach this barangay. Now, because of the improved roads and availability of transportation provided by SMI, I am able to give children their immunization and assist in giving the medical needs of the barangay once a month.”

Pangilan’s family income has improved tremendously because he was one of the 30 farmers who were given a start-up capital of P5,000 to grow and weave abaca.  He was able to enroll his four children to school and provide decent food on the table daily.

SMI general manager for external affairs Mark Williams said he was pleased to share the 2012 Sustainability Report with national government and business leaders who attended the launch.

“Our achievements in sustainability to date demonstrates our commitment to achieving shared goals for the region, improving social and economic prosperity to enable a brighter future for generations to come,” he said.

Throughout 2012, SMI provided jobs to more than 370 employees and 940 contractors; delivered community health services to about 12,000 people; provided financial support for tuition, allowances and school supplies to 26,000 students; supported livelihood opportunities for more than 6,000 households; reforested more than 340 hectares in partnership with community groups, and contributed P1.8 billion to the Philippine economy.