Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya–In a bid to help alleviate poverty in the Philippines and to prepare its communities for the end of mine life, OceanaGold (Philippines), Inc. amplified its delivery of quality education and capability-building programs in its communities, in collaboration with community leaders and elders.
From 2013 to 2018, OceanaGold’s literacy and education programs have directly assisted more than 4,500 individuals with some Php 266 million (USD 5.3 million) worth of investment.
OceanaGold has opened opportunities for learning and capacity-building in different levels such as the provision of basic and higher education to its communities, various training programs to community residents, pre-employment trainings, and education program for its employees. The Didipio mine employs around 1,500 individuals.
“We aim to create a positive social impact through provision of literacy and education, focusing on wide-spread capacity-building of residents in our host and neighboring communities, the young and old included” OGPI General Manager David Way said.
OceanaGold’s 11 beneficiary barangays have approximately 15,000 residents, most of whom are originally from Ifugao and have migrated to Didipio and its neighboring barangays.
Education in Didipio prior to mining
Prior to the existence of large-scale mining, Didipio, OceanaGold’s host community, only had primary school offering from Grades 1 to 4. “After fourth grade, students had to relocate to the nearest town to finish elementary and high school, walking more than 20 kilometers every time they travel,” Luz Dulnuan, a teacher in Didipio since early 2000, shared.
The community’s old elementary school building was made of wood and students had to do with the limited space and the limited number of teachers and teaching materials.
Seeing the plight of the students, employees of the previous mining company who conducted exploration in Didipio contributed money to build the first high school facility for the children of Didipio.
“During the first operating years of the old high school facility, the rooms were tight.
And then OceanaGold came and through its community development projects, additional elementary and high school buildings were constructed, and we had access to school equipment. With better facilities now, we can provide more efficient learning experiences for our students and host more school activities,” Dulnuan added.
At present, youth from nearby barangays may opt to study in Didipio and finish the government’s K-12 program. The schools in Didipio boast of new and modern school equipment.
Enrollees in both the primary and secondary schools have seen tremendous increase over the years, reaching 477 and 679 enrollees in 2018, respectively. 759 graduates were already produced from the two educational institutions.
There are also 61 subsidized teachers and school staff in the 11 beneficiary barangays of the Didipio mine.
Young Exuberant Scholars of OceanaGold (YES-OceanaGold)
OceanaGold’s literacy and education program includes provision of scholarship to college students from Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino. Children of OceanaGold employees can also avail of financial assistance for their college education.
The Company has produced 144 graduates, including 11 mining engineers, and currently supports 246 scholars who are enrolled in top educational institutions.
“No words can ever repay the goodness of OceanaGold and alI I could say is ‘thank you.’ Thank you because you became an instrument that helped me realize my worthy purpose in life,” OceanaGold scholar Stewart Gotana said.
“We care for the young of our communities, offering them quality education and working towards their comprehensive development. We encourage them to excel in what they do and potentially be the next great leaders of their respective communities,” OGPI general manager David Way said.
Robust programs for training and education
With the transition from surface to an underground mine, OceanaGold has partnered with Site Group International and opened Asia’s first underground mine training facility in Clark, Pampanga. It provides the Underground Metalliferous Work Readiness Course to local residents of Didipio and its neighboring communities.
The program has already provided International Certificate II to 104 graduates – 97 men and 7 women. They are now globally competitive and already employed in OceanaGold. The Company has spent around PHP50 million in building the UG mine simulator and PHP104 million for the training itself.
“This leading work-readiness program continues to build significant capacity within our local community until the required manpower in our underground mine is met,” David Way said.
In partnership with TESDA and DOLE, the Company has provided income-generating technical-vocational trainings to 1,039 residents of Didipio and neighboring barangays. These trainees have either been employed by OceanaGold and its contractors or have already put up their own businesses. With the success of the technical-vocational trainees, OceanaGold was inspired to establish the Didipio Vocational Achievement Center (DVAC) in 2018. The facility is now being utilized for in-house trainings for employees and in-house technical-vocational trainings for local residents.
“OceanaGold’s literacy and education program is a community-investment program that is aligned with the needs, values, and priorities of our communities. More importantly, it is a program that empowers Didipio and our neighboring communities to make decisions together with OceanaGold towards a sustainable future, one that extends beyond the life of mine,” Way said.
ADVT