This summer, Eramen Minerals Inc. conducted a series of activities for the residents of Sta. Cruz Zambales. The bayanihan spirit, a core essence of the Filipino culture, was alive and well throughout the events. Bayanihan is all about helping one’s neighbor as a community, doing tasks together, lessening each other’s workload, and making jobs easier. Bayanihan can be translated directly as having camaraderie as a community. Through the different programs spearheaded by EMI, the bayanihan spirit was truly felt by the people of Sta. Cruz, Zambales.

To start, Eramen Minerals hosted an organic farming seminar to aid the farmers increase their yield and productivity. At the same time, the seminar aimed to increase their knowledge in agriculture through the help of volunteers from the Department of Agriculture. Eramen Minerals also conducted a clean-up drive in Barangay Biay. Despite the heat and mud, volunteers worked hard to remove grass, trash, and soil that had accumulated inside the canal to help increase the flow of water. This helped the neighboring communities as their main source of livelihood is farming. By cleaning the drainage canal, Eramen and its volunteers helped the make the farmers’ jobs easier.

Eramen also hosted a Mobile Clinic which went to different barangays and provided free medical services including check-ups, dental services, and circumcision. Then number of beneficiaries from all of the activities reached over 1,300. For a full recap of the Mobile Clinic activities, click here.

Eramen Minerals also conducted a seminar for Women Empowerment. They held two activities, one focused on self defense in situations of violence against women and another focused was a Family Welfare Program. During the seminar about violence against women, there were demonstrations on the different kinds of self-defense that women can do if they ever found themselves in a dangerous situation.

All-in-all, Eramen Minerals conducted a wide variety of activities which catered to different needs within the community. It ranged from livelihood to health, women empowerment to family planning, and this all occurred in just one summer. Eramen Minerals plans to continue activities which are impactful to the community throughout the year, and the sky’s the limit for what they can accomplish.