Summary
The Far Southeast gold-copper project located in northern Luzon in the Philippines represents a relatively challenging socio-political environment. This means the project’s ultimate success is more dependent than most on close consultation with local stakeholders.
Response
Far Southeast has established a strong Community Sustainable Development team made up of 52 people – or 21% of the total project workforce. The majority of the team is made up of local and Indigenous Peoples from the Municipality of Mankayan – where the ore body is located. Far Southeast’s approach to community engagement is informed by comprehensive community stakeholder mapping, carried out with the assistance of the nearby Benguet State University (BSU). This was based on an innovative household survey of almost all of Mankayan’s 35,000 residents, carried out using a team of 340 student volunteers and analysed using advanced geo-spatial software.
Sources:
Gold Fields, Integrated Annual Review 2011, pp. 106-108 www.goldfields.co.za/reports/ar_dec_2011/pdf/integrated_ann_rev_2011.pdf