Tampakan, South Cotabato — For freshman BS Mining Engineering student Jhazmia Clarisse P. Costas, visiting the Liberty Core Farm (LCF) of Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) was really an enlightening experience and made her believe that responsible mining is indeed possible.
Jhazmia is one of 49 students from the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) who received firsthand lectures from industry professionals within SMI on best mining practices during an on-site trip to SMI’s facilities at Barangay Liberty, in Tampakan, South Cotabato, last April 21, 2025.
During the tour around LCF, the group gained an appreciation of the mining company’s Core Storage Buildings, Core-logging Area, Material Recovery Facility (MRF), Plant Nursery, and Mine Layout Scale Model.
SMI’s Corporate Communication Superintendent Joseph K. Palanca also gave a presentation outlining the overview and current status of the Tampakan Project, and its significant contributions in uplifting the lives of its host communities.
Highlighted in the presentation was SMI’s commitment to fostering development in the community through its annual Social Development and Management Program (SDMP), which funded numerous development projects of its host municipalities in the provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, Davao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat.
“Ang alam lang ng tao kasi na itong mining ay nakakasira ng kalikasan. Actually hindi. Lalo na ngayon, narinig namin ang ipinakitang overview ng Tampakan Project and I learned a lot na ang mining pala, importante sa kanila ang community,” Jhazmia shared.
“Talagang nakita namin na committed talaga ang SMI sa mga activities na magpoprotekta sa komunidad, like tree planting. Tinutulungan nila ang tao, lalo na ang mga indigenous cultural communities sa area,” the young student said.
Although not yet operational, SMI has been certified as ISO 14001:2015 compliant since 2017.
ISO 14001 is the most comprehensive environmental management and audit system for the continuous improvement of the environmental performance of companies and organizations and is valid throughout the world.
“It has given me a wide idea about mining. Totoo pala ang tinatawag na responsible mining. Specially sa SMI, iyong mga awards ng kompaniya. talagang sumusunod sila sa panuntunan ng batas,” Jhazmia shared her realization. (30)
