The awarding of the prestigious Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Award to two mining companies under the umbrella of Nickel Asia Corp. is regarded as doubly special as it was conferred during the pandemic year.
Cagdianao Mining Corp., based in Valencia in the Dinagat Islands, and Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. based in Bataraza in Palawan are this year’s proud PMIEA honorees presented with the “Presidential trophy” for outstanding initiatives in the pursuit of excellence in environmental management.
CMC and RTNMC are subsidiaries of NAC, the country’s largest nickel su plier.
According to the Mines and Geoscience Bureau, an agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the award is given to operating mines that have shown exemplary performance in environmental enhancement and protection, safety and health, social development and corporate social responsibility.
“The award for 2020 is made more significant because of the unprecedented challenges posted by COVID-19. Our employees had to exert double efforts and had to sacrifice personal time in order to achieve our goals to ensure 100 percent implementation of our commitments to all our stakeholders in the mining communities,” said Arnilo C. Milaor, Resident Mine Manager at CMC.
This is a back-to-back win for the Dinagat-based mining company which also collected the Presidential Award last year.
Cagdinao Mining’s commitment is to the tune of P55.5 million worth of Annual Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program and P47.3 million for the development of CMC’s host and neighboring communities through the company’s Social Development Management Programs for 2020 alone.
“The improved living conditions in the mining areas are proof of our commitment to the communities. One outstanding CMC project, for example, is the 19.2-kilometer farm-to-market road worth P12 million, connecting 5 barangays from 2 municipalities to the main provincial road, effectively providing the residents access to basic services like the hospital, and, most importantly, efficient access to trade and commerce,” said Aloysius C. Diaz, NAC VP for Operations.
Rio Tuba Nickel, which has won this most-coveted “Presidential Award” for 4 times – 2002, 2015, 2018, and 2020 – never stopped operations and continuously implemented essential programs on environment protection, community development and safety and health despite the pandemic and expended P66.5 million for AEPEP and P36.2 million for SDMP in 2020.
“With strict enforcement of preventive measures against COVID-19 to protect employees and our host communities, we did not have work stoppage with no recorded case of infection within the mine site, and, most significantly, we did not lay off any worker” shares,” Cynthia E. Rosero, RTN’s Resident Mine Manager, said.