SMI Discovery Tour

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

This is a long past overdue post I have been doing a lot lately that I forgotten to make a blog post but this time I want to make a promise to myself that I have to blog at least once a week and catch on all my pending post for all the blogger events I have been through. So, here it goes…

March 6, 2010, Saturday I just had an hour of sleep because of my work at Piyesta Ktv & Restobar. Our call time was 6:00 am. We convened at City Hall it is just a few blocks away from where I reside so I decided to walk and drop by Dunkin Donuts for my brewed coffee to wake me up. Rabsky and sir Gilbert, with a plastic of Jollibee in hand, was already there. The very thoughtful sir Gilbert bought along coffee and hot choco for the early birds paired with hot pandesal. Then one by one bloggers arrived Rosalie, Arnel and Tammy. Next was Van and France then the Manansala sisters Orman & Avel and also Gensan Gazer's author Mandi and ate Jinky. SMI people with a caravan of 4x4 arrived at 7:00am to pick us up.

(coffee party sa side ng City Hall)

It was a fast and trilling ride from Gensan to Tampakan it was like the 10 4x4 cars are in a race. I rode with sir Orman and Peter "pilot" in his Ford Everest from Gensan to Tampakan.

First stop is the SMI Competence Center for our Security and Safety Briefing and boy these guys are not kidding when it comes to security and safety. We also had a cultural briefing, project overview, project updates and open forum. There I learned that SMI had NOT yet started the excavating the copper and gold they are still in the exploration stage where in they study the quality, the quantity and the depth of the copper. I daringly ask the speaker on what SMI are doing or will do to the environment during and after the mining process. And i had a good answer for that question. SMI really though things through they have a continuos rehabilitation plan which means they are now starting it even though the excavation had not yet started and they will continue doing it during and after the whole mining process.

(SMI briefing)

(merong short animation film ang presentation nila NICE!!)

After the briefing we went to the Core Farm where metallurgist, geologist and MS engineers study the sample stones and soil that are excavated by small drills in the site. In the same compound is the SMI Nursery where in hundreds and hundreds of tree seedling are being breed and grown and are all ready to be given away to organization who are going to use it for tree planting activity. They also have a butterfly garden, api culture shed house, vermiculture and automatic weather station. We had our sumptuous lunch there.

(Core Farm with SMI's metallurgist and geologist)

(tree seedlings)

(automatic weather station)

Then of we go for our nerve wracking 4x4 trail ride to Salnaong for our cultural exposure. We had fun watching their cultural presentation and talking to them.

(4x4 trek FUN FUN FUN)

(4x4 hi-lux and strada)

(Bariles wih chief of the tribe and his elder father)

(traditional dance)

(with the kids)

It was really true to its term a "discovery tour" i learned a lot from this SMI experience thank you SMI may your plans for the environment be beneficial for everyone.

(socks bloggers, SMI team and salnaong chief)