Bonifacio Global City, Taguig – Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. (RTN), a subsidiary of listed natural resource development company Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC), hosted 45 young students from the Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities in Bataraza, Palawan, for the qualifying exams for RTN’s educational assistance program under its Social Development and Management Program (SDMP).
The SDMP is a comprehensive plan for mining companies to contribute to the development and well-being of its host and neighboring communities. The allocation of the SDMP is decided by mining communities through a series of consultations to align the program with their needs.
Bobit Alihan, Community Development Coordinator for RTN, says the IP communities have been giving focus and priority to the education of their children and that it was the tribe’s collective decision to allot most of their SDMP funds towards education.
“When in olden days, education was not always a key priority, they have now accepted that the IP youth will have a better chance to a successful and sustainable future if they have education,” Alihan explained.
As a subsidiary of NAC, RTN implements its Sustainability Roadmap with goals that include establishing sustainable communities in its areas of operations and empowering Indigenous Cultural Communities to become self-reliant, particularly in preparation for life after the mine.
According to RTN Resident Mine Manager Engr. Ronel Suguitan, the IP community is a critical part of the company’s ambition of achieving a sustainable future which is why RTN prioritizes the development and the protection of the well-being of indigenous peoples in Bataraza.
The Bataraza IP communities receive a share of RTN’s SDMP funds based on the provision of the Mining Act of 1995 (RA 7942) in addition to IP royalties as provided by the IPRA law (Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997).
In 2024 alone, the IP communities in Bataraza received PHP 21.2 million from RTN’s SDMP and CSR funds, not yet counting the funds they received from their royalty rights.
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