ITOGON, Benguet– The Itogon Suyoc Resources, Inc. (ISRI), a subsidiary of the Davao-based Apex Mining Company, Inc., continues to be mindful of the immediate needs of its host and neighboring communities by extending whatever available assistance for the local governments to be able to intensify their Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) response to contain the spread of the deadly virus in their areas of jurisdiction.
Engr. Eric S. Andal, AMCI Vice President for Geology and Exploration, went around La Trinidad, Mankayan and Itogon to distribute some 400 antigen test kits to the concerned local chief executives to help in intensifying the aggressive early detection and screening of the said local governments that will be instrumental in contain the possible surge in the number of cases in the said localities.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan and Mankayan Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong received 150 antigen kits each while La Trinidad Mayor Romeo K. Salda got 100 similar test kits that will be used in enhancing the efforts of the local governments to effectively and efficiently manage the prevalence of the COVID cases in the municipalities that reported high cases during the previous months.
The distribution of the antigen kits to the company’s host and neighboring communities was upon orders of AMCI president and chief executive officer Louie Sarmiento for the mining firm to extend whatever available assistance that will contribute in the efforts of the government to contain the rapid spread of the virus in the host and neighboring communities in the province.
Last year, ISRI also donated to Itogon and Mankayan towns a total of 400 antigen kits while Baguio City was given some 200 test kits that contributed in the ongoing efforts to abate the spread of the virus in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Further, the company also gave out hundreds of boxes of Vitamin C to Mankayan when the local government was in dire need of help during the weeks that there was a surge in the number of cases in the said municipality that was triggered by infected individuals living in the mine camp.
Local chief executives who personally received the donations from ISRI officers expressed their gratitude to the assistance extended by the company in helping their local governments effectively and efficiently manage the spread of the deadly virus in their places, saying that it only shows that company officials have the heart to help in the COVID response of their host communities and that they are mindful for the welfare of the residents who must start recovering from the heavy impact of the prevailing pandemic to their economic activities and sources of livelihood.
The concerned officials lauded the company for being able to complement their needs in the ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact of the prevailing pandemic to the overall development of their places and the existing economic activities and sources of livelihood of the people as it is now time to work out the road to recovery instead of being heavily impacted by the intermittent surges in cases on their areas of jurisdiction that tend to compromise their resiliency and recovery efforts that had been put in place. By HENT
