ITOGON, Benguet – In May 2021, at the online forum, Promoting Sustainable Development by Advancing the Role of Women in Mining, then-secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Mr. Roy Cimatu, emphasized the many important contributions of women in the growth and development of the country’s mining industry.
He also called on women to actively participate in policy formation and program development. In fact, conditions on non-discrimination of gender are tucked into the mining permits and agreements issued by the DENR. Indeed, mainstreaming gender and development is fast gaining strong and consistent traction among mining companies.
Contrary to the popular saying that mining is mostly a man’s world, select mining companies in the country are grooming women in the various aspects of mining. Itogon-Suyoc Resources, Inc. (ISRI), for one, is a rich ground for women who work alongside men in performing tasks like operating heavy machinery, exploring underground veins, and a whole range of other activities that are typically reserved for men in the mines.
In ISRI, women evolve into their best selves owing, in huge part, to the company’s support. The company provides training and other learning opportunities to ensure that its talented workers are constantly challenged. And it follows a uniform set of policies and programs across genders, ranks and positions – definitely, inclusivity in action.
More importantly, the spirit of malasakit, which is the cornerstone of how ISRI does business, is the glue that binds its High Performing Team into one cohesive whole.
The women of ISRI are definitely women of substance. Singularly or together, they are a force to reckon with.