SMI is committed to establishing strong and enduring partnerships with local stakeholders and has developed formal consultation processes with communities around the projects to guide SMI’s Corporate Social Involvement (CSI) programs and to allow the communities’ needs, resources and concerns to be considered in the final project design.

In 2008, community projects continued to support a range of local education initiatives including improvements to educational infrastructure, the provision of training to teachers, and support for skills development programs.

While increasing education opportunities for local communities was a priority area, significant investments in improving health indicators and in the areas of social and community development enterprise and job creation, arts and culture and environment were also made. This provided the Tampakan Project with the impetus to align its developmental initiatives with the Millennium Development Goals of the Philippines.

Through these development programs SMI strives to bring tangible benefits to communities associated with its operations to ensure they remain empowered and sustainable well beyond its presence in the area.

SMI is committed to advancing its projects and to seeking excellence in its sustainable development performance through continued consultation with communities, respect for the environment and an unrelenting focus on the safety and health of its workers.