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.

For 2009, SMI spent PhP79 million (USD1.67 million) on various CSI programs, providing real and long-term benefits for local communities on the following concerns: 

Education

• A total of 14,332 elementary, high school and college students were granted financial support.
• SMI supported the monthly salary of 18 teachers in the communities of Tampakan, Tupi, Columbio and Malungon while the local government units (LGUs) of these communities seek the regularization of the teachers concerned.
• Furtheremore, 40 teachers were trained on culture-sensitivity curriculum
• Through the CSI, the Synergeia Foundation Program was implemented in 15 elementary schools. The program aims to improve the quality of basic education by actively engaging local government officials, parents, school officials, teachers and community leaders to participate in improving processes to enable children to learn better. 

Livelihood

• Livelihood programs on new farming technology and farm support, banana, corn and potato production, dressmaking and other projects helped improve the lives of over 608 farmers and tribal members.

Health

• A vast number of households and individuals received much-needed care and cure through medical and dental missions in many communities. Some 3,011 households from the Project area and SMI exploration tenements were enrolled in Philhealth, and became entitled to a range of health benefits for a year.

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.

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.

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.