Village in Zambo Norte showcase of good mines

DAVAO CITY—Canadian mining firm TVI Resource Phils. (TVIRD) said its presence in Canatuan in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, has bettered the lives of residents.

In a press statement, TVIRD said among the improvements it brought to Canatuan was the rehabilitation of a former dirt road into an all-access road that made travel to the community easier.

“Today, the TVIRD mine site can be reached from the municipality of RT Lim in Sibugay through an all-weather access road and first-time visitors can readily see that the area has been transformed into a bustling mountain community with an improved quality of life,” the statement quoted TVIRD mine manager Pete Remoto as saying.

Remoto also said contrary to criticisms, its open-pit method of extracting minerals was not destructive.

He pointed to the company’s mine waste dump demonstration farm, where rice is being grown.

Remoto said the waste dump demo farm experience would be replicated by converting mined-out areas into an environmentally-sound habitat for various birds and animal species.

Over time, what used to be a mine waste land would gradually be transformed into a productive farm area where vegetables and crops can grow to provide food and additional livelihood opportunities for the Subanen indigenous people living in the area, he said.

TVIRD said its social services also benefited the residents.

One of these is the medical clinic “manned by professional personnel who, despite being in a remote mountain village, manage to deliver proper medical services to residents of Canatuan and adjacent communities from Siocon, 20 kilometers to the west, and RT Lim, 50 kilometers to the east.”

In an accident or a major health-related ailment, emergency medical treatment, which can spell the difference between life and death, can be administered to a patient before the long trip to a city hospital, the press statement said.

If Canatuan is a much different place now than it was a decade ago, credit must go largely to the company’s adherence to responsible mining, and the full support of the whole community to its mining operations, the statement added.