Philex to intensify Itogon reforestation

MANILA, Philippines - Philex Mining Corp. is intensifying its reforestation efforts in Itogon, Benguet by planting forest and fruit-bearing trees across 500 hectares of land over five years.

The reforestation program covers the critical watershed area of San Roque Dam and will be carried out in cooperation with the state-run National Power Corp., according to Feliciano Diso Jr., community relations manager at Philex Mining’s Padcal Mines.

Diso revealed this at a public forum held recently at Sitio Pangbasan in Itogon’s Barangay Dalupirip with the tree-planting program to start this June targetting 100 hectares every year until 2018.

Padcal environment head Rudy Saguid said the company is looking to hire seasonal workers from outlying sitios (village) for the reforestation program which stretches up to 2019 to include the maintenance phase.

Saguid explained that the reforestation program for every 100 hectares takes three years with the maintenance phase of the preceding batch overlapping with the planting and maintenance of the succeeding one.

To date, Philex has reforested 2,260 hectares of land in the towns of Itogon and Tuba with over seven million trees.

The company’s Padcal Project has been a consistent winner of major awards for its reforestation program, the latest of which was “Best Mining Forest (Metallic Category)” at the Mine Safety and Environment Awards last November.

That was Padcal’s 10th time to win the award granted by the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA).

Padcal, which covers Itogon and Tuba, also won the Best Mining Forest award in 2008, 2007, 2004, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1994 and 1991.

Diso and his team met with residents of Itogon and Tuba at a public forum attended by representatives from local government units and government agencies concerned where livelihood projects were discussed to make the community become more self-reliant.