TUBA, Benguet — Thousands of residents of nearly twelve sitios in barangay Camp 3 here are now enjoying the benefits of various soft and hard infrastructure projects already turned over to them by the management of the Philex Mining Corporation here which were funded from the company’s social development management program.

The projects included road concreting, pavement concreting and reinforcement, pathway and railings construction, flood control, retaining wall construction, spillway rehabilitation, construction of drainage systems amounting to over P4.7 million and waterworks and multipurpose building worth P8.4 million.

For this year, Philex had earmarked P31 million for its SDMP projects with P19 million set aside for infrastructure development in the host communities.

Aside from the aforesaid projects, Philex has committed to continuously develop a road leading to barangay Ansagan, one of the remotest villages in this mineral-rich town, which will serve not only as an access road but also a farm to market road to allow the agriculture industry to mushroom in the area once the road will be available.

However, Philex officials appealed to beneficiary communities to cooperate and actively participate in the implementation of the SDMP projects so that the company will be able to fulfill its commitment to its host communities for optimum development, especially in terms of infrastructure and sources of livelihood where people will be able to independently live once the company ceases to operate during the end of its mine life in 2017.

Philex is one of the two large-scale mining companies operating in the mineral-rich province and has sustained its status as the largest copper company nationwide despite the nearing of the end of its mine life. (Dexter A. See)