National IPMR League president thanks SMI for fostering development of Tampakan Project IP communities
Tampakan, South Cotabato – The President of the National Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) League of the Philippines and Municipal IPMR of Malungon, Sarangani Bong Fulong Datu Edmund Pangilan expressed gratitude to the mining firm, Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI), for its continued efforts to advance the socio-economic development of the indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) within the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project area.
"Tayo ay nagpapasalamat sa SMI sa kanilang patuloy na pag-suporta para matulungan ang ating pamahalaan na mai-angat ang pamumuhay nating mga tribu," Pangilan said in a message over the weekend.
Datu Pangilan witnessed the company’s turnover of PhP 500,000 seed capital to the IP officers and members of the Malabod Marketing Cooperative to foster the development of sustainable community projects within these host ICCs.
He also cited SMI's humanitarian projects that directly benefitted the Blaan ICCs of Malungon, Sarangani, one of the host communities of the mining firm.
Aside from the financial assistance, SMI donated a brand new vehicle to the tribal communities to be used for emergency relief and disaster response operations.
In addition to the two host Blaan ICCs in Malungon, Sarangani, SMI invests in the socio-economic development of nine other host Blaan communities within its Project area: three ICCs in Tampakan, South Cotabato; one ICC in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat; and five ICCs in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur.
SMI's community-empowerment projects are aimed to help boost the economic productivity of its host and neighboring communities. The establishment and support to IP cooperatives are an integral part of its commitments to the Blaan ICCs under the 2019 Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) Memorandum of Agreement. (30)
2024-01-15
