OceanaGold gears up ‘bayanihan’ through relief efforts

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan- In support of the fight against the threat of the coronavirus disease, OceanaGold Philippines Incorporated in Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya has been actively helping out communities during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon despite the ongoing restraint of its operation since July 2019.

The company has been in constant coordination with various local government units of its host community, Didipio, and of its 10 neighboring communities within the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino during this nationwide crisis.

OceanaGold’s relief efforts include distribution of food packs, medicines, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the residents of the 11 barangay beneficiaries of its Social Development and Management Program (SDMP).

A total of 4, 083 households or an estimated 16, 000 individuals who are mostly members of the Indigenous People (IP) benefited from the relief assistance of the company.

Medical health professionals in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino likewise received 400 pieces of 3M FFP2 face masks (N95 equivalent) and other PPEs from the company.

OceanaGold allocated Php1.9 Million worth of assistance that was taken from the unutilized 2019 SDMP of their respective barangays while 2.7 Million from their re-aligned funds under the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC)/ Development of Mining Technology and Geosciences (DMTG) activities.

This is pursuant to the memorandum of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) last 27 March 2020 to use the unutilized funds of the Social Development and Management Programs (SDMPs) of the mining companies to support affected impact and non-impact communities due to COVID-19.