TUBA, Benguet – Some two hundred indigent families in two remote villages within the neighboring communities of Philex Mining Corporation enjoyed their Noche Buena with the members of their households after receiving the Noche Buena packs from the mining company.

The beneficiaries of the Noche Buena packs distributed by officials and personnel of Philex included some 100 persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens from barangay Tabaan Norte in this town and another 100 recipients from barangay Gumatdang in Itogon town.

The identification of the recipients was done by the mining company in close coordination with the concerned municipal social welfare and development offices of the 2 towns and Tabaan Norte punong barangay Miguel Palispis, Jr. and Gumatdang punong barangay Vicente D. Puguon.

Philex legal and administrative division head lawyer Eduardo M. Aratas said that the gift giving program was aligned with the MVP group of companies initiative dubbed Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko Despite the Pandemic where the different companies under the MVP group were tasked to distribute the gift packs to the identified qualified recipients to help them cope with the heavy impact of the pandemic that practically changed the ways of life of the people.

With the successful conduct of the gift giving activity in the 2 remote barangays within the company’s neighboring communities, Aratas stated that concerned company officials are inclined to recommend to make the same a regular annual event for the benefit of the indigent families that are living in the host and neighboring communities for them to be able to enjoy the celebration of the Yuletide season despite the difficulties in life that they are experiencing.

 

He added that Philex Mining Corporation was the only member of the MVP group of companies that conducted the aforesaid activity being the only company under the auspices of the group that is operating in the Northern Luzon area.

After being informed of the conduct of the gift giving activity to identified indigent families, the Philex official claimed that the management immediately coordinated with the respective municipal social welfare and development offices of Tuba and Itogon for the identification of the poorest of the poor families who will be identified as beneficiaries of the noble program that paved the way for the identification of the indigent families in the 2 poorest barangays in the said municipalities.

According to him, the municipal social welfare and development offices are in the best position to help the company identify the beneficiaries of the program and other similar activities that will be conducted in the future that is why the management immediately coordinated with the said offices to ensure that the limited Noche Buena packs will be given to the appropriate beneficiaries in the said communities.

Aratas expressed his gratitude to the social welfare officers, the barangay officials and volunteers and the company personnel who contributed their time, effort and resources for the realization of the said gift giving project that made the indigent families happy during the Yuletide season.

By Hent

Source: https://www.baguioheraldexpressonline.com/200-indigent-families-get-gifts-from-philex-amidst-pandemic/