OceanaGold vows more community projects

MANILA, Philippines - Australian miner OceanaGold will undertake more community projects designed to improve enviromental conditions and quality of life of the people living in the immediate area where it is now conducting mining operations.

This was announced by Brenan Lang, general manager of OceanaGold Didipio project,  even as he revealed the “excited reception” by the people, in particular, citizens of Didipio and surrounding communities in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino over the start of OceanaGold’s mining activity.

The people, according to Lang who led a company team that assessed community reaction to start of operations by OceanaGold in Didipio, are jubilant particularly over the completion by the mining company of the all-weather road that links the mine site to the town and other areas, and the launch of tree planting program that hopefully would blossom into large-scale reforestation effort.

“But what really excites the local communities exceedingly has been the direct and indirect creation of employment and business opportunities associated with the mining operation.  Hundreds of families in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino have at least one family member associated directly with the mine or to a business that is providing the mining operation with services or supplies.  This has already made significant impact on economic landscape of these communities,” Lang said.

One social initiative by OceanaGold well appreciated by the people of Nueva Vizcaya was the medical missions which fanned the towns of Kasibu and Didipio.  Said Clarita Tinoyan, president of the Federation of Kasibu Senior Citizen Associations, in thanking  OceanaGold for sponsoring the medical, dental and optical mission:

“We need free medicines as our local government cannot provide sufficient medicines to us. Senior citizens in our town as you see have hypertensions, poor eyesight and sagging teeth.  These are the reasons why we requested OceanaGold to help us and this medical, dental, optical mission could not have been a success without sponsors like OceanaGold.”

OceanaGold’s Didipio mine is estimated to  continue being productive for at least 16 years and the company has indicated it expects to be working with the local communiies  in championing priority community projects over this period as well.