TUBA, Benguet – Calling it a symbol of “optimism” for the life of Padcal mine to extend beyond 2022, officials of Philex Mining Corp. have broken ground for the construction of a new administration building worth P28 million at its gold-and-copper operations in this town’s Sitio Padcal, Brgy. Camp 3.
“Putting up this building is a semblance of our optimism,” the company’s CEO and president, Eulalio Austin, Jr., said. “If we work more efficiently, that building, I assure you, will last with us for more than 10 years. It will be a good building, but, at the end of the day, it will still be the efficiency of the people occupying that building [that counts].”
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremonies, which was also graced by Tuba Mayor Ignacio Rivera, on Saturday, April 1, Austin added, “That building would turn out to be a semblance of how responsible we are, how optimistic we are that we will extend beyond 2022. We should create a climate of productivity by providing decent offices in a workplace.”
Philex Mining, whose 2016 income jumped 83 percent to P1.657 billion from P905 million a year earlier, has ongoing exploration activities aimed at improving its current mine life expectancy of 2022; consolidated costs and expenses, meanwhile, fell 2 percent to P6.9 billion from P7.011 billion for the same period, owing to good governance and vigilant management.
Composed of three stories and designed with wide windows and doors to allow ample amounts of daylight and of breeze in, thus reducing the need for artificial ventilation, the building is 14-meter wide and 40-meter long and has a total floor area of 1,680 square meters, or 560 sq. m. per floor, according to Emilia Tabula, manager at Padcal’s General Services Dept. (GSD).
In a keynote address, Tabula stressed the construction project, which has been awarded to the LSD Construction and Supplies, based in Gerona, Tarlac, came about after Super Typhoon Lawin (international codename: Haima) wreaked havoc across northern and eastern Luzon, including Benguet, last October, partly damaging Padcal mine’s main administration building, which is made of wood.
“When the new building is completed, our employees will have a peace of mind, year-in and year-out,” she said, adding that construction, which began a day after the groundbreaking ceremonies, would last for eight months, although the company is expecting a shorter period. “We do not have to worry about our roof getting blown and our offices getting wet.”
Also describing the new building as designed to be a “one-stop shop” for employees, guests, and stakeholders, Tabula said the activities or functions of the different departments that are related or inter-dependent are located next to or near each other.
“The new building ushers us into a brighter future,” Eduardo Aratas, manager at Padcal’s Legal Division, said in his closing remarks. “This will breed a happy workforce and a happy community.”
Manuel Agcaoili, SVP and Padcal resident manager, said in his key message that with the new administration building, Philex Mining is stepping up to the plate further in connection with its commitment to responsible mining, which the miner has put a human face by implementing social development and environmental projects in its host and neighboring villages.
“The idea is to be able to rise up to the challenge” of continuing or even overtaking one’s efforts geared toward responsible mining, he said, as he noted that even President Duterte has cited Philex Mining’s excellent program on environmental protection.
By HENT
