PAGADIAN CITY – TVI Resource Development (Phils.) Inc. (TVIRD) has got the full backing of the business sector in Pagadian City and Zamboanga del Sur province after various business groups and their leaders expressed a unified support for the Company which is now readying to operate its Balabag gold project in Bayog town.
“We, the business group in Pagadian City and the province of Zamboanga del Sur are in full support of TVI,” said Mercedes Lourdes S. Quisumbing, president of Pagadian-Zamboanga del Sur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc. (PZCCIFI), stressing among others TVIRD’s world-class responsible mining practice in its Zamboanga del Norte copper-zinc mining operations.
During the meeting for Project Tambayayong, an inter-agency convergence of which PZCCIFI is a partner, Quisumbing said, “mining attracts more investments and aside from creating more jobs it also spurs economic growth. We are for responsible mining and I saw TVIRD contributions to employment and quality of life in Canatuan,” Quisumbing said.
Quisumbing was referring to TVIRD’s mining operations in Mount Canatuan, the ancestral domain of the Subanon tribe in the town of Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte province.
She attributed the improved quality of life of the Subanons – the biggest ethnic group in Zamboanga Peninsula – to TVIRD’s mining operations. “This and more made us rally behind TVIRD,” she said.
“But what is important is the commitment of the mining company to revegetate and rehabilitate the disturbed areas during and after the mining operations,” she pointed out.
PZCCIFI is a business support organization and the recognized voice of business in Zamboanga del Sur. It represents local businesses of all sizes and is a key player in promoting viable investment climate in the region and in the entire Mindanao.
The Chamber believes that promoting responsible and sustainable investment coupled with strong government support in addressing policy gaps and bottlenecks, are catalysts for more investors to have more confidence in investing in Mindanao and bring about the economic opportunities and prosperity in the region.
The Zamboanga del Sur local chamber is a member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). Just recently, PCCI endorsed responsible mining in its joint statement with the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and Philippine Exporters Confederation.
“Recognizing the potential of the country’s huge mineral wealth, we are of the view that the Aquino government’s goals can be attained through a judicious, rational, and developmental approach to minerals development,” the groups said in a published statement.
“We support the advancement of legitimate, responsible mining that properly takes care of the environment during and after operations. And to do so, we need an environment of consistency, stability and harmonized policies. We also believe that the role of all mining stakeholders is to ensure the enforcement of all government regulations in terms of fair revenue sharing, responsive community development, and responsible stewardship of the environment”, the statement said.
In its own statement of support issued early this year, the Pagadian Chamber acknowledged the potentials and opportunities that TVIRD can significantly contribute to a step-in change toward sustainable economic growth for the people of Western Mindanao specifically Zamboanga del Sur.
TVIRD’s Balabag Project “is an investment that will drive businesses and create new entrepreneurial opportunities perceived as a new opportunity to build a better future for Mindanao. We recognize and encourage the pursuit of Responsible Mineral Development with the paramount regard of ensuring Environmental Mitigation and Protection and Social Equity in pursuit of sustainable development,” the Chamber said in its statement.
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