Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya—FCF Minerals Corporation recently provided rice and grocery assistance to the villagers of Quezon and Kasibu towns as part of its support to the government efforts in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province.
Ian Moller, FCF’s manager for sustainability said the rice and grocery assistance were given to the more than 10,500 households of Quezon town’s 13 barangays and Kasibu town’s 4 barangays as the agency’s support to the ‘Bayanihan to Heal as One’ Act of the national government.
“The assistance was given during the Enhanced Community Quarantine period in April and given in three waves to help our villagers in coping up with the adverse effects of the ECQ in their communities,” he said.
The rice and grocery assistance were given in the barangays of Quezon such as Darubba, Bonifacio, Aurora, Baresbes, Boliwao, Caliat, Calaocan, Dagupan, Maasin, Maddiangat, Nalubbunan, and Runruno.
Villagers of the neighboring barangays of Tadji, Papaya, and Antutot in Kasibu town also received food assistance.
Moller said the assistance were realized using the 2019 unused funds of the Annual Social Development and Management Plan (ASDMP) for the barangays.
“The realignment of funds was requested by the concerned barangays to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) so that they can use them for COVID-19 mitigation assistance,” he added.
Moller said the realignment of unused 2019 ASDMP funds was asked by the MGB among mining companies in the country for use in mitigating the adverse effects of the ECQ due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the 2020 SDMP realigned budget also funded the additional relief assistance of the neighboring communities to supplement the first budget released under the 2019 ASDMP unutilized fund.
The distribution of the relief assistance was conducted through the mining company’s Community Relations Office (CRO) in coordination with the ASDMP focal persons in the barangays and local officials.
FCF operates the gold-molybdenum deposits in barangay Runruno in Quezon town and also funds the ASDMPs of its host and neighboring barangays.