Mining employees find extra income post Odette

A group of employees from Cagdianao Mining Corp. (CMC) harvested hundreds of kilos of bangus as the Province of Dinagat Islands marked the devastation wrought by typhoon Odette exactly a year ago.

A people’s organization – Valencia Regular-Seasonal Workers Association (VARSWA) – composed of employees of CMC, a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC), collaborated with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to embark on a fish farming project for extra income for employees.

BFAR provided the trainings, DOLE provided the farm inputs and CMC provided other logistical and operational funds including the cover for the cost of the Norwegian cage, estimated at P800,000.00 including accessories, which was sourced through the mining company’s yearly Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) budget.

“This project was stalled, first because of the pandemic, and then when Odette destroyed the cage and the fish nets, so this is our first partial harvest since and interestingly on the anniversary of Odette,” shares Lorenzo “Jojo” Cuares, Jr., President of VARSWA.

VARSWA has about 50 members, all regular-seasonal employees of CMC. The mining company assisted in forming this people’s organization and provided seed capital.

For VARSWA members, bangus farming is a natural choice since the inland coastal waterway provides the best condition for cage culture and, according to BFAR, suitable for bangus farming as to water quality and that there are no strong waves because of the surrounding mountains.

Cuares says they are expecting to account at least 3,000 kilos of bangus in this particular harvest from just one cage. He explains that the members of VARSWA will get a 70% dividend share out of their net income which they will divide equally. The bangus sell between P180 to P220 per kilo depending on size.

“We will each earn a little from this harvest after all the expenses are accounted for, this kind of income is not enough as a main source of livelihood but a very good and a welcome extra income,” he adds.

Sherrie Ann Cardoniga, Enterprise Development and Livelihood Coordinator, Community Relations Department, explains that the role of CMC is to guide the members of VARSWA in order that they efficiently manage the project until it becomes sustainable that they run it themselves without intervention from the mining company, which is the essence of the SDMP programs.

“There are factors and principles the members have to learn including effi- cient business management and, most importantly, protection of the environment for sustainability as they take advantage of the natural resources available to