The Didipio Mine is committed to being a good neighbour, and how we engage and work with communities affected by our operations is a fundamental aspect of how we do business from exploration to project development, to operations and the transition to closure.
We engage with communities to improve our management of key issues and impacts, identify opportunities, inform our business strategy and activities, collaboratively develop social investment programs, and respond to concerns or issues relating to our business activities.
Didipio works with 11 communities adjacent to the mine. These include the host community of Didipio and 10 surrounding communities, a total of more than 17,000 residents. Three downstream communities are in the municipality of Cabarroguis in the province of Quirino, and seven upstream communities are in the municipality of Kasibu in the province of Nueva Vizcaya.
We regularly visit communities and engage with the community councils and residents. Building strong relationships and dialogue with host and adjacent communities are vital to the way we operate.
We invest in the well-being of our communities by supporting programs that improve health, education, infrastructure, and capacity building.
Between 2013 and 2018, the Didipio Mine has invested over PHP 39.5 billion (US$790 million). This includes development expenditure for its host and neighbouring communities, community investment projects, government taxes paid and employee wages. Of this expenditure, 96 per cent (PHP 38.3 billion) was paid to employees, government and businesses through salaries, taxes, and procurement while PHP 1.2 billion was spent for community development.
At Didipio we work with communities to establish a forum for collaboration and decision-making across all social investment programs.
Memorandums of Agreement (MOA)
Since the early 1990s, the companies responsible for exploration and development at Didipio have made agreements with host and adjacent communities to invest in social infrastructure and services. Many of these commitments were executed at the time the agreement was made, while others were scheduled to be delivered after the commencement of mining operations.
We continue to honour these commitments which include infrastructure projects such as roads, schools, a medical facility, and other initiatives focused on agricultural development, skills building and small business development.
These projects include:
- The 10-bed Didipio Family Health Centre handed over to the community in 2018.
- The construction of a three-story senior high school building for the Eastern Nueva Vizcaya National High School, which we turned over to the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2017.
- More than 100kms of roads to provide communities easier access to markets and the business districts.
Other initiatives:
Local Supplier Development: Dicorp
In 2011, OceanaGold provided seed funding to host community residents to establish the Didipio Community Development Corporation (Dicorp). Dicorp is a community owned enterprise with long-term Didipio residents as shareholders. It has progressively grown over the years, becoming one of the largest businesses in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino. Dicorp provides several services to the Mine, including camp administration and catering, transport and trucking, sales and distribution, engineering and projects, wholesale and retailing, waste management and infrastructure development.
Livelihoods and measuring social impacts and change
Didipio Mine is committed to improving our understanding of how our operations generate change and impact at the local, regional, and national levels. At Didipio, this includes the social outcomes and tangible benefits delivered by the SDMP and other community programs, the livelihood and socio-economic impacts related to our operations and impacts on land, water, and biodiversity.
We are working with external experts and in collaboration with communities and government to better-understand how the mining operation has contributed to change over time, the community’s perceptions and concerns, and to identify improvements – including the economic standing and welfare of local communities.
Human Rights
The development of Didipio from an exploration project to an operating mine occurred over 19 years. We respect human rights at all our operations, and the Didipio Mine has a framework of policies and commitments for how we all operate. This includes a commitment to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. We periodically review the alignment of our operations and activities with our policies.
Complaints and grievances
The Didipio Mine regularly engages with local communities to collaborate on social development initiatives, address community questions and concerns about our operations, and listen to feedback on how to improve our performance.
The complaints process was formalized in 2012 and is continuously reviewed and updated as required. We have regular community meetings, and a community-based office through which community members can raise concerns and be provided feedback.
We also have a confidential whistle-blower hotline service, managed by Deloitte, through which anyone can report concerns relating to non-compliance with our corporate Code of Conduct.