History plays a significant role in everyone’s lives. It allows societies to remember their victories and learn from their mistakes, and proves that we can all learn a thing or two from our past.
As Benguet Corporation, the oldest mining company in the Philippines, celebrates its 120th anniversary, it aptly launched a new book titled “Moving Mountains, Making History: The Benguet Corporation Story” on Dec. 12 at the Ayala Museum in Makati.
“It’s not only the narrative of how the company charted the course through difficult and prosperous periods, but it also tells a human story of how the early founders and past managers of the company pilot and shape the business landscape based on the courage, passion, ideals and innovative spirit,” said Benguet Corporation President Lina Fernandez during the book launch.
Edda Villaluna Henson, a member of the Villaluna clan called “the Mining Royal Family of the Philippines,” authored the book. Her family’s background and affinity for the mining industry made her the ideal person to write about Benguet Corporation’s journey for over a century.
“When I set off to write this book, I knew that a 120-year journey would take me through the mountains and cities, through the waves of industry, technology, and commerce that conspire to make Benguet Corporation what it is today,” she said.
Throughout the years she spent reading and researching to complete the book, Henson said she was surprised by the dramatic changes and immense challenges that would shake any company to its core.
But through it all, Benguet Corporation persevered, she noted, as this success comes from the mining company’s standing fast to its pioneering values.
“I realized that it is only by studying the history of a good corporation that we can understand how much our story is one of true resilience, sustainability, and success in studying how our individuals and communities all came together,” Henson said.
Present as the guest of honor of the book launch was House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, who congratulated Benguet Corporation for reaching such a momentous milestone.
“From its humble beginnings to becoming a leader in the industry, Benguet Corporation has not only moved mountains but also shaped the economic landscape of our country,” he said during his keynote speech.
The Speaker encouraged the audience to draw inspiration from the lessons and successes in the book, adding that “Moving Mountains, Making History: The Benguet Corporation Story” is a “tribute to the spirit of the Filipino people: resilient and relative and forward-looking.”
He noted that in September, the House of Representatives gave its final nod to House Bill (HB) No. 8937, which aims to enhance the fiscal regime for the local mining industry.
Once enacted, it will subject large-scale metallic mining operations within mineral reservations to a royalty rate of four percent of the gross output of the minerals or mineral products extracted or produced, Romualdez said.
The bill will also require small-scale miners to register with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Mining Board of the concerned local government unit (LGU) and encourage them to organize into cooperatives to qualify for a People’s Small-Scale Mining Contract.