Large-scale mining companies rushed to communities near and far from their areas of operation to help victims of Typhoon Odette.
Nickel Asia Corp. affiliate Taganito HPAL Corp. distributed food packs and rice to families and evacuees from barangays Urbiztondo and Taganito and construction materials to 3,600 families from the firm’s host town of Claver in Surigao del Norte. Partial data provided by Mines and Geosciences Bureau Caraga regional director Larry Heradez showed that THPAL’s contribution alone cost P13 million.
Philex Mining Corp. gave financial assistance to the Philippine Disaster Resiliency Foundation and the One Meralco Foundation for use in the MVP Group Tulong Kapatid Odette response efforts. Part of the assistance would be for the purchase of shelter and building materials for local government units in Surigao del Norte.
The company also conducted an employees’ donation drive and offered generator set at its Silangan Mindanao Mining Co. Inc. project site in Barangay Timamana, Tubod, also in Surigao del Norte, for free charging of mobile phones and other communications devices.”
“Member-firms of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines also provide many unquantifiable efforts that are equally valuable in times of disaster, such as the quick response of emergency response teams, the use of company equipment in the clearing efforts and manpower resources,” said COMP chairman Mike Toledo.
“These are our employees who were at the scenes to help the communities, like doctors who did the rounds and brought first-aid kits in affected barangays,” he said.
