South Cotabato governor cites SMI, other private firms

MANILA, Philippines - South Cotabato Gov. Arturo Y. Pingoy Jr. has expressed appreciation to a number of corporations for their contributions to the development of the province, especially in the field of education.

Among these corporations are Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), Dole and the Mahintana Foundation.

In his state of the province address delivered in Koronadal City on July 4, Pingoy thanked the Department of Education and SMI for helping the provincial government provide health care kits for 100,000 pupils.

Pingoy also recognized SMI, together with Dole and the Mahintana Foundation, for helping the province in the fabrication of arm chairs for various schools. According to the governor, prior to this commitment there was a shortage of 15,000 chairs in the province.

These two initiatives are part of SMI’s continuing community development programs, which formally commenced in 2007, that are being implemented in the host and neighboring communities of its Tampakan copper-gold project.

In 2010, SMI supported 19,000 elementary, high school and college students through the provision of tuition fees, other school fees and monthly allowances and salary support for teachers.

At the recent launch of SMI’s 2010 Annual Sustainability Report, general manager for operations and external relations, Mark Williams said the company invested P135 million in 2010 as part of its corporate social involvement (CSI) initiatives including education, health, livelihood and enterprise-building programs.

“This contribution is part of our CSI program that aims to provide benefits to communities within and near our areas of operation,” Williams said.