Story: ELMER RECUERDO
Photos from the net
Photos from the net
GUIUAN, Eastern Samar – The municipal government of Guiuan says it will involve the mining companies operating in Homonhon Island in the crafting of the island's comprehensive development plan in order for these companies to have meaningful impact on the lives of the residents affected by their operation.
Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said she will call all the four mining companies in Homonhon to a meeting this week so that they will be able to start preparations for a workshop on the comprehensive development plan scheduled in the first week of April.
Kwan said the plan will serve as the roadmap for the development of the island that will include aspects on livelihood, infrastructure and environmental conservation, among others.
She said many mining companies are being criticized for their failure to uplift the condition of the communities where they operate due to the absence of a plan to improve it.
"There should be a plan so that earnings derived from the mining operations are spent judiciously," she said. "When the mining ceases its operation, the community that it will leave behind would be in a better condition."
Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said she will call all the four mining companies in Homonhon to a meeting this week so that they will be able to start preparations for a workshop on the comprehensive development plan scheduled in the first week of April.
Kwan said the plan will serve as the roadmap for the development of the island that will include aspects on livelihood, infrastructure and environmental conservation, among others.
She said many mining companies are being criticized for their failure to uplift the condition of the communities where they operate due to the absence of a plan to improve it.
"There should be a plan so that earnings derived from the mining operations are spent judiciously," she said. "When the mining ceases its operation, the community that it will leave behind would be in a better condition."
Kwan said that at present, the funds from the Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) that is given to the host community are usually spent on social events such as fiesta, basketball tournaments or barangay beauty contests.
"The barangay captain would solicit from the mining company a swine for the fiesta and the mining company will deduct it from their SDMP," she explains. "That should not be the case. This is a development fund that should be used for the development of the community."
Under the Republic Act No. 7942, otherwise known as the "Philippine Mining Act of 1995," mining companies are mandated to allot annually a minimum of one percent of the direct mining and milling costs for the development of the host community.
The fund is divided into SDMP (90%) and for the development and maintenance of infrastructure (10%). These infrastructures include community schools, hospitals, churches, recreational facilities, access roads, bridges, piers, wharves, communication, waterworks, electric power and sewerage systems, community housing projects, and training facilities for manpower development.
Kwan said the local government unit of Guiuan is presently crafting the town's comprehensive land use plan with the technical assistance from the University of the Philippines' School of Urban and Regional Planning. She said she will invite the experts from the institution to also help in the crafting of the Comprehensive Development Plan of Homonhon Island.
Homonhon Island, with a size of 10,000 hectares, has eight of Guiuan's 60 barangays. The four mining companies operating in the island – Techiron Resources, Inc., Emir Mineral Resources Corp., King Resources Mining Corp., and Global Min-met Resources, Inc.—are operating in two of the eight villages.
Kwan said aside from SDMP, the host communities also receive a share of the taxes paid by the mining companies.(CJ/ER)
"The barangay captain would solicit from the mining company a swine for the fiesta and the mining company will deduct it from their SDMP," she explains. "That should not be the case. This is a development fund that should be used for the development of the community."
Under the Republic Act No. 7942, otherwise known as the "Philippine Mining Act of 1995," mining companies are mandated to allot annually a minimum of one percent of the direct mining and milling costs for the development of the host community.
The fund is divided into SDMP (90%) and for the development and maintenance of infrastructure (10%). These infrastructures include community schools, hospitals, churches, recreational facilities, access roads, bridges, piers, wharves, communication, waterworks, electric power and sewerage systems, community housing projects, and training facilities for manpower development.
Kwan said the local government unit of Guiuan is presently crafting the town's comprehensive land use plan with the technical assistance from the University of the Philippines' School of Urban and Regional Planning. She said she will invite the experts from the institution to also help in the crafting of the Comprehensive Development Plan of Homonhon Island.
Homonhon Island, with a size of 10,000 hectares, has eight of Guiuan's 60 barangays. The four mining companies operating in the island – Techiron Resources, Inc., Emir Mineral Resources Corp., King Resources Mining Corp., and Global Min-met Resources, Inc.—are operating in two of the eight villages.
Kwan said aside from SDMP, the host communities also receive a share of the taxes paid by the mining companies.(CJ/ER)
