OceanaGold boosts jobs in N.Vizcaya

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – A foreign firm, the first to conduct commercial mining operations in Luzon under the 1995 Mining Act, continues to employ residents in its operation, boosting the host local governments in their job creation efforts.

OceanaGold Philippines Inc. (OGPI), a local subsidiary of the Melbourne-based OceanaGold Company, said that it has now employed close to 2,000 workers and contractors with 98 percent of them Filipinos and from the host communities.

OGPI has been tasked by the national government, through a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), to undertake the multimillion-peso Didipio gold-copper project in Didipio village, which lies along the mountain border of this province and Quirino.

The project officially commenced commercial operation last May after nearly two decades of exploration activities. It is expected to produce 100,000 ounces of gold and 14,000 tons of copper per year on average over an estimated 16-year project life.

In a statement, Brennan Lang, the project’s general manager, said that they have been prioritizing local communities for employment and for livelihood support.

In fact, he said, more than 50 percent of Didipio operations workforce is from local communities while the rest were from nearby areas. This, he said, aside from those communities who have generated their own livelihood as a result of their operation.

“We continue to work closely with our (local) stakeholders and surrounding provinces and have worked conscientiously to develop strong relationships with our local communities,” he said.