Mining firm team up for the environment with local TV station

Sagittarius Mines, Inc. continues its advocacy to greening the environment by supporting various tree-planting activities within and surrounding its Tampakan project area.

In the 13th anniversary of ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol Socsksargen in Gen. Santos City, the TV station partnered with SMI and other volunteer groups in Gen. Santos City to pant trees along the Buayan River.

Around 120 volunteers including SMI and ABS-CBN employees, City Environment and Natural Resource Office (CENRO) representatives and student volunteers from RD foundation and AMA Computer Learning Center gathered to replant the barren Buayan riverbank. A total of 2,000 seedlings, five hundred (500) of which came from SMI’s seedling nursery, were planted.

“We would like to impress to our stakeholders our commitment in caring for the environment. We recognize the need to preserve our environment and so we are fully supportive of initiatives like this,” said Bella Lechonsito, SMI’s Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Superintendent.

“This commitment is evident in our continuing efforts to initiate tree-planting and reforestation activities and supporting environment campaign activities in partnership with Local Government Units (LGUs) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs),” said Jose Sebua, SMI’s Social and Environmental Superintendent.

SMI has been actively involved in various environment awareness and protection campaigns. Its reforestation program which was launched on 2005 has already planted and distributed over 250,000 seedlings in the project area and neighboring communities.

Currently, the company is embarking on a robust forest rehabilitation and management program within and surrounding its proposed final area in the Tampakan project. University of Queensland and Leyte State University is helping SMI in the program which involves baseline studies of the remaining forests, massive tree-planting, and forest management.