MANGGA, Camp 3, Tuba, Benguet—Sixteen projects under the social development and management program (SDMP) of Philex Mining Corp. were turned over to residents of sitios Mangga, Balayan, Torre, Gangel, Colocol and Buo, all in barangay Camp 3 in this municipality last week.

The 16 projects included road concreting, pavement concreting and reinforcement, pathway and railings construction, flood control, retaining wall, spillway and construction of a drainage canal.

The 16 infrastructure projects cost P4.7 million, which commenced in November 2010 and completed recently.

It is the initial turnover from the 52 infrastructure projects for barangay Camp 3 programmed to be completed this year.

The company’s SDMP infrastructure projects for 2011 amounted to P19 million, which is just a part of the P31-million community projects it allotted for the entire year.

During the turnover, Tuba Mayor Florencio Bentres said the company’s contribution to the barangay is a big one. He told the residents that the entire municipality’s 20-percent development fund amounts to a minimal P11 million, which the 13 barangays will have to share for the entire year but the SDMP project for Camp 3 alone is more than the whole municipality’s development fund.

Companies like Philex Mines, he said, do a lot for the host communities, adding that the project cost alone provided by the mining company to barangay Camp 3 is equal to the municipality’s fund shared by all the barangays.

He told residents not to disregard the contribution of Philex but to take care of it and maintain it because the community will be the one to benefit from it.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau community affairs officer Remedios Ortega reminded community members to maintain and take care of the project for the benefit of the local community.

Camp 3 barangay captain Benedicto Baliton said, “Let us hope that the company does not stop operation in 2017, which is targeted because there are many more they can do to help the people in the barangay today and the future generation.”

Feliciano Diso Jr., Philex community relations manager, said the SDMP projects are partnerships they do with the local government unit and the community concerned.

While only eight years old, the SDMP project has allocated P40 million for infrastructure and road stabilization, as well as waterworks in Camp 3.