BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—OceanaGold Philippines Inc. has poured in funds to improve the quality of education among villagers in Quirino and this province.
David Way, OGPI Didipio operations manager, said they have donated P43 million so far for the construction of the Eastern Nueva Vizcaya National High School in Barangay Didipio in Kasibu town as part of their social investment in the community.
“This is now 97 percent completed and we hope to finish the project early this year,” Way said of OGPI, which operates the gold-copper mine in Didipio.
He also said OGPI is assisting 205 scholars since last year, and donated P5.6 million to universities in north Luzon for the promotion of quality education.
About P3.8 million of the fund, meant to support the development of mining technologies and geosciences, went to the Mining Engineering Laboratory of the Saint Louis University in Baguio City.
The agriculture and biosystems laboratory of Quirino State University also received P599,000, and P1.2 million went to the geodetic engineering and mine survey equipment of the Nueva Vizcaya State University in Bayombong town.
Last year, it produced more than 147,150 ounces of gold and 21,123 tons of copper, with gold sales of 149,663 ounces and 21,413 tons of copper sales.
From April 2013 to October 2016, OGPI produced 350,000 dry metric tons of copper concentrate.
Way said they have projected their 2017 production guidance at up to 130,000 ounces of gold and up to 17,000 tons of copper.
OGPI, he said, also allocated $7 million on social investment programs, including water system, family health care centers, roads, education, livelihood and agriculture programs for the community in barangay Didipio and nearby villages.