Recognizing that the smell of new pads of papers and the feel of new pencils can bring excitement and enthusiasm to any young student, employees of Nickel Asia Corp. and its subsidiaries pooled their personal resources to gift some 3,000 students of Malimono town in Surigao del Norte with “lapis at papel.”
The activity is part of the mining company’s yearly Personal Social Responsibility program, where NAC employees take it as their civic duty to contribute to the betterment of the communities in their own personal capacity.
Malimono, a 5th class municipality outside the mining communities and a coastal town in Surigao del Norte, was chosen as beneficiary this year.
Last year, NAC employees contributed to give two pads of papers and three pencils to all 900 elementary students of all four elementary schools in Dinapigue, Isabela.
This year, NAC employees brought joy to students from 16 schools in Malimono’s 14 barangays, gifting each student two pads of paper and two pencils. Some kindergarten kids even received coloring books, crayons and sharpeners.
“It was a pleasant surprise. The children were very happy, the teachers were almost emotional. NAC employees went to all our elementary schools even in those farthest areas accessible only by boat and habal-habal [motorcycle taxi]. We are all very thankful to NAC employees for the very sweet gesture,” says Dr. Alicia Amalia, district supervisor of DepEd Malimono.
The “lapis at papel” contributions were gathered from NAC employees in its mining operations in CARAGA Region and Dinagat Islands—Cagdianao Mining, Hinatuan Mining, and Taganito Mining; also in Rio Tuba in Palawan—Rio Tuba Nickel Mining; in Isabela—Dinapigue Mining; as well as employees of Cordillera Explorations and Emerging Powers Inc.
All are subsidiaries of NAC.
“The NAC PSR in Malimono showed the communities that people from the mining companies of NAC are one with us and are very much part of the very society we live in,” said Jay Ronald L. Becina, Principal at Malimono Central School.
