Due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong which triggered the closure of all small scale mining activities in the Cordillera Administrative Region in September 2018, the Department of Science and Technology Cordillera through the Provincial Science and Technology Center-Benguet provided livelihood project on metal fabrication as alternative source of income of displaced small scale miners.
Specifically, the Demang El Mineros Organization (DEMO) was identified as the main beneficiary of the said project.
The assistance is intended to enable the members of DEMO for the fabrication and market of ready-to-use construction supplies such as steel windows, steel doors, water tank, railings and other iron works.
An amount of Php439,600.00 was allocated from the agencies’ Local Grants In Aid-Community Based Project to fund the project.
The fund was used to procure metal fabrication equipment such as welding machines, speed cutter, grinder, electric drill, compressor and various essential tools.
A training on metal fabrication was also conducted on December 18-20,2018 to enable the members of the said organization to learn the art and skills of fabricating metal products.
The participants were trained on the use of the basic metal fabrication machines, measuring and angling, techniques of welding, speed cutting, acetylene cutting, and air compressor spray painting.
After a year of the Typhoon Ompong, members of the DEMO are now catering fabrication works in their community. They were able to fabricate 30 sets of steel windows, four steel doors, three roofing and other auto parts such as jeep railings and accumulated at least PhP190,000.00 gross sales for the first semester of CY2019.
By CGD
