Mining companies contribute amidst COVID-19 crisis | Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region XI

Posted on April 18, 2020

Mining companies assist LGUs in providing locals with the much needed food and medical assistance in compliance with the Executive Secretary’s Memorandum dated March 16, 2020 of the Office of the President re: “Community Quarantine Over the Entire Luzon and Further Guidelines for the Management of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation; Proclamation No. 929, “Declaring a State of Calamity Throughout the Philippines Due to Corona Virus Disease 2019”, and the MGB CO Dir. Atty. Wilfredo G. Moncano Memorandum dated March 27, 2020 for the “Realignment of Social Development and Management Program’s Unutilized Funds to Support Affected Impact and Non-Impact Communities due to COVID-19” and its Guidelines dated April 1, 2020.

Under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order No. 2010-21, the Consolidated Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 7942, otherwise known as the “Philippine Mining Act of the 1995”, Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) refers to the comprehensive five-year plan of the Contractor/Permit Holder/Lessee authorized to conduct actual mining and milling operations towards the sustained improvement in the living standards of the host and neighboring communities by creating responsible, self-reliant and resource-based communities capable of developing, implementing and managing community development programs, projects, and activities in a manner consistent with the principle of people empowerment.

Section 136-E states that “On the initiative of the Bureau, Regional Office concerned, Contractor/Permit Holder/Lessee and/or the host and neighboring communities, the approved SDMP and Programs on Development of Mining and Mineral Processing Technologies and Geosciences and on IEC can be reviewed and/or revised during their period of coverage to account for changes in the nature and cost of activities: Provided, That prior to the end of the five-year term of the approved Programs, they shall be subject to performance review by the Bureau to determine and measure the impact of the various Programs, the results of which shall serve as an integral guide in the preparation of the new Programs.”

Mining companies in Davao Region submitted the re-aligned budget and schedule of its utilization under its SDMP and were approved by Atty. Jasper Alberto H. Lascano, Regional Director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Regional Office No. XI.

Target activities on the realigned SDMP budget include financial assistance to the Provincial and Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID 19 and the distribution of rice, groceries/food items, vitamins, face masks, hand sanitizers and disinfectants to the host and neighboring communities and checkpoints frontliners.

Memorandum from the Executive Secretary, Office of the President dated March 21, 2020 in re: “Submission of Report to Congress Pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 11469 or the “Bayanihan To Heal as One Act”, all heads of executive departments, agencies, instrumentalities, GOCCs, and GFIs, to whom specific powers have been delegated, are directed to submit not later than 12:00 noon of April 3, 2020, “Friday, and of every Friday after, a report on specific accomplishments and programs or activities undertaken in accordance with the authority respectively delegated”. Hence, mining companies are required to submit every week the actual amount utilization of specific program/activity which contains a description of target beneficiaries, areas covered, number of target beneficiaries and actual number of beneficiaries served as per submitted realigned budget of its Social Development Management Program (SDMP).

As of April 16, 2020, below is the total budget utilization and its percentage:

Mining Companies	Realigned SDMP Budget	Budget Utilized	Utilization Percentage
Apex Mining Co., Inc.	P 2,643,596.00	P 550,071.00	21 %
Austral-Asia Mining Corp.	P 29,000.00	P 29,000.00	100 %
Kingking Mining Corporation	P 50,000.00	P 21,240.00	42 %
TOTAL	P 2,722,596.00	P 600,311.00	22 %

Apex Mining Company, Inc.

April 5, 2020 – Emelita C. Fabro (right), the Vice President for Corporate Administration of Apex Mining Co., Inc. handed-over the financial assistance amounting to Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 200,000.00) to Vice Mayor Arthur Carlos Voltaire R. Rimando and Mayor Alvera Veronica R. Rimando (left) of Municipality of Maco, Davao de Oro Province.

April 6, 2020 – Mayor Reynaldo Dayanghirang of the Municipality of Mabini, Davao de Oro Province received the financial assistance amounting to One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) granted by Apex Mining Company, Inc. through Engr. Ferdinand B. Dobli. The financial assistance is intended to augment the mitigating measures of the municipal government to contain the pandemic Covid-19.

At Brgy. Teresa, Maco, Davao de Oro – Barangay Functionaries of Teresa, Maco received one (1) gallon of Hand Sanitizer and one (1) gallon of Chlorinex Disinfectant from Apex Mining Co., Inc. (AMCI) on April 7, 2020.

The Community Quarantine Checkpoint of Barangay Elizalde, Maco, Davao de Oro is one of the twenty-one beneficiaries of Hand Sanitizers and Disinfectants distributed by Apex Mining Co., Inc. (AMCI) on April 7, 2020. AMCI pledged to provide weekly supply of hand sanitizers and disinfectant to the 21 community checkpoints along Masara Lines and its neighboring barangays bound to Maco, Mawab and Nabunturan, all in the Province of Davao de Oro.

Kingking Mining Corporation