The Didipio Mine is committed to being a good neighbour and the way we engage and work with communities impacted by our operations is a fundamental aspect of how we do business – from exploration to project development, to operations and the transition to closure.
We work with 11 communities adjacent to the mine. These include the host community of Didipio and 10 neighbouring communities, a total of more than 17,000 residents. Three downstream communities are in the municipality of Cabarroguis in the province of Quirino, and seven upstream communities are in the municipality of Kasibu in the province of Nueva Vizcaya.
We regularly visit communities and engage with the community councils and residents. Building strong relationships and dialogue with host and neighbouring communities are vital to the way we operate.
We invest in the well-being of our communities by supporting programs that improve health, education, infrastructure, and capacity building.
Between 2013 and 2023, we invested around PHP 3 billion for social investment programs. These include the Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) for host and neighbouring communities, Community Development Fund (CDF) and Provincial Development Fund (PDF) for the greater Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino area and other CSR projects.
At Didipio Mine, we work with communities to establish a forum for collaboration and decision-making across all social investment programs.
MEMORANDUMS OF AGREEMENT (MOA)
Since the early 1990s, the companies responsible for exploration and development at Didipio have made agreements with host and adjacent communities to invest in social infrastructure and services. Many of these commitments were executed at the time the agreement was made, while others were scheduled to be delivered after the commencement of mining operations.
We continue to honour these commitments which include infrastructure projects such as roads, schools, a medical facility, and other initiatives focused on agricultural development, skills building and small business development.
These projects include:
• The 10-bed Didipio Family Health Centre handed over to the community in 2018.
• The construction of a three-story senior high school building for the Eastern Nueva Vizcaya National
High School, which we turned over to the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2017.
• More than 100kms of roads to provide communities easier access to markets and the business districts.
OTHER INITIATIVES:
Local Supplier Development: Dicorp
In 2011, the Didipio Mine provided seed funding to host community residents to establish the Didipio Community Development Corporation (DiCorp). DiCorp is a community-owned enterprise with long-term Didipio residents as shareholders. It has progressively grown over the years, becoming one of the largest businesses in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino. Dicorp provides several services to the Mine, including camp administration and catering, transport and trucking, sales and distribution, engineering and projects, wholesale and retailing, waste management and infrastructure development.