
A four-day Seminar Workshop on Enhancing Community Engagement Strategies for Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) Formulation and Implementation was conducted for the thirty Nine (39) Community Relations Officers from the different mining and mineral processing companies in Region X held at the Grand Caprice , Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City on January 21-24, 2019.
Participants were representatives from operating large-scale mining companies under Mineral Production Sharing Agreements , (MPSA), Mineral Processing Permit (MPP), Exploration Permit (EP) and Industrial Sand and Gravel Permit (ISAG) issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
The Seminar-Workshop was aimed to raise the expertise of the ComRel Officers in SDMP formulation and implementation through harmonious and enhanced community, and key stakeholsders engagement in all phases of the SDMP Cycle. Moreover, to empower the identified mining communities by capacitating the ComRel to adopt a participatory approach in implementing SDMP and help strengthen the capacity of the mining community in decision making which is critical to community development.
The four-day Seminar Workshop consisted of three (3) modules such as :
- Module 1 – The Context of Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) and community Engagement
- Module 2 – Community Engagement as a Strategy for SDMP Formulation and Implementation : Process, Methods and Tools
- Module 3 – Evaluation and Impact Assessment of SDMP Re-entry Action Plan Formulation
At the end of the modules, the participants were expected to explain and demonstrate the ways trough which Community Officers and Community Development perspectives and methodologies are strategically applied in their work as Community Relations Officers/Managers and implementers of SDMP
Resource speakers were Ms. Cecile Amihan -Bayas and Mr. Roman Antonio V. Wamil, both graduates of Bachelor in Science in Community Development from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. Ms. Bayas has more than 15 years of ample experience as ComRel practitioneer while Mr. Matt Wamil is a UP professor who involves in research and consultant for designing strategies for community development.
To establish unity and solidarity for a common goal, the ComRel Officers organized themselves by forming an organization coined CROPAX or Community Relations Officers and Practitioneers of Region X having Mr. John Christopher C. Silvosa as elected President – ComRel Manager of Holcim Resources Development Corporation –Lugati Plant while Engr. Roel L. Piloton is the elected Vice President who is the current Environment and ComRel Manager of Republic Cement Iligan, Inc. and Republic Mindanao Iligan, Inc. based in Brgy. Kiwalan, Iigan City.