ITOGON, Benguet – From 2021 to 2023, Itogon-Suyoc Resources, Inc. (ISRI) remitted PhP40,534,580.65 to the Dalicno Small Scale Miners’ Association (DASSMA) under ISRI’s Big Brother Small Brother program.
“Small-scale miners are our partners in growing our local economy,” according to Eric S. Andal, acting resident manager of ISRI.
In 2023 alone, more than PhP17.9 M was remitted to ISRI’s erstwhile partner under the BBSB.
Through its BBSB, ISRI works with small scale miners’ associations, giving them areas to mine within their tenement and up-skilling them through trainings on industry-standard safety practices and provision of appropriate tools to mine safely. A total of 286 small-scale miners benefited from BBSB from the years 2021 to 2023.
ISRI ensures full transparency in the implementation of the BBSB program.
Earlier, ISRI partnered with some small-scale mining associations in the municipality under the BBSB Program to help the pocket miners to operate under its umbrella to enhance their compliance to the stringent guidelines for their legitimate operations.
Relative to the allegation on the false assay results, it is clearly stipulated in the signed MOA between ISRI and DASSMA that the computed billing should be confirmed first by the leaders of the group before final processing of the payment.
Further, BBSB leaders may verify the grade of their workplaces and once delivered, the company’s engineering and geology department may share the determined values for review prior to implementation.
From the initial 8 leaders at the start of the BBSB implementation several years ago, the number increased to 13 in 2023 a clear indication that the program earned the trust and confidence of the participating small-scale mining groups.
ISRI decided not to renew the MOA with DASSMA because of the gravity of the violations committed by the group during the course of the agreement. These grave violations include lost time and non-lost time injuries of seven cases resulting from negligence and non-compliance to Standard Operating Procedures, five high grading cases, and an overall performance of only 68 percent from January to September 2023.
ISRI is the first mining company to extend assistance to small-scale mining associations for the latter to be able to comply with the stringent guidelines governing their operations and for them to sustain their established source of livelihood while addressing various safety and environmental concerns.
The company rolled out the BBSB program in the municipality over three years ago that enticed numerous small-scale mining groups to signify their intention to participate in the program for them to sustain their source of income for their families.
The environment department earlier hailed the efforts of the mining company to provide small-scale miners with the opportunity to sustain their activities under the noble program that will guarantee their compliance to existing rules and regulations governing the small-scale mining operations. By Dexter A. See
