By Victor Martin   BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – The FCF Minerals Corporation, a British-owned mining company, based in Runruno, Quezon in Nueva Vizcaya, won its fourth consecutive Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Award (PMIEA) during the 71st Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference (ANMSEC) held last Friday (22Nov) Camp John Hay in Baguio City. Lorne Harvey, FCF General Manager for Operations, and Lawyer Rowena Marcos, Legal and Compliance Manager, accepted the PMIEA award, during the awards night and testimonial dinner held at Camp-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center. Harvey said aside from the PMIEA, the highest award conferred by the Philippine Mine Safety and Environmental Association (PMSEA), FCF Minerals was also declared 1st runner-up in Best Practices in Minerals Processing-Metallic Category during the 4th ASEAN Minerals Awards held in Vientiane, Laos last month. In his message, Harvey expressed his heartfelt gratitude specially to the people of Barangay Runruno, personnel of MGB-R02 and all FCF employees. “These awards are for the men and women in our Runruno mine operation. We would not have achieved this recognition for the 4th consecutive year without their tireless dedication to excellence,” Harvey said. The PMIEA is given to mining companies that demonstrated outstanding performance in environmental management, occupational health and safety, and corporate social responsibility. Joshua Ambojnon, FCF Safety Officer, also received his award for winning the Best Safety Inspector for Plant Category. Harvey said the awards bestowed to FCF Minerals institutionalized the company’s zeal to go further towards outstanding levels of dedication and innovation in mining, enhancing the lives of their community while protecting and nurturing the environment. “I would also like to make mention of the support of our community as well as our local leaders and the work that they do in conjunction with our staff to enhance the lives of our local population. Without the support of our community, we as a business would not meet the success we have today,” Harvey added. Harvey said the FCF Minerals is also strongly committed as ever to working closely with its many stakeholder groups to continue providing significant benefits and leaving a positive and long legacy. Meanwhile, the FCF Emergency Response Team (ERT) also clinched second place in the First Aid Competition held at the Melvin Jones Grandstand. The ERT also demonstrated their exceptional skills across multiple challenges which includes the Fire Brigade Competition, Fire Extinguishment Event and Tug of Peace Challenge. A local subsidiary of London based Metals Exploration, FCF Minerals has an existing financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) with the government to undertake the Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in Runruno village in Quezon town here. The project has been endorsed by the provincial board, the host town of Quezon, as well as the barangay council in 2011 and started its commercial operation in 2017 after more than a decade of exploration and construction.  

By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito on Monday, November 24, led the blessing of 11 newly procured heavy equipment units for the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU). The short rite, held immediately after the Monday Flag Raising Ceremony, was attended by provincial officials and department heads. Provincial Engineer Jerry A. Tan reported that the new units consist of: • 4 units – 4×2 Hino 500-series dump trucksWinning bid total: ₱23,980,000 • 1 unit – Develon DL250-7M wheel loader- ₱13,998,000 • 2 units – SDLG G9165F graders-₱21,990,000 • 2 units – Volvo EW145B Prime wheel-type excavators-₱26,990,000 • 1 unit – UD Truck Quester CWE 410 self-loading unit-₱17,995,000 • 1 unit – Shantui SD22Z crawler-type bulldozer-₱18,998,000 Gov. Gambito said the acquisition will significantly boost the province’s capability in road construction and maintenance, disaster response, and other public works operations. The blessing, held right after the flag ceremony, was meant to dedicate the units to public service and to pray for the safety of all personnel who will operate them in the years ahead.

By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative (NUVELCO) is aiming to restore electricity across the province by December 12, 2025, following widespread damage from Suoer Typhoon Uwan. NUVELCO General Manager Fredel Salvador said crews are working nonstop and could finish sooner if conditions allow, though some areas remain hard to reach. According to NUVELCO’s latest assessment, roughly 19,000 of the cooperative’s 20,896 poles were affected—many toppled, broken, or otherwise damaged. So far, teams have inspected 2,354 poles, and 177 field personnel are currently deployed on restoration work. Salvador appealed for patience as crews face hazardous conditions. “We ask for your patience, cooperation and prayers as our personnel work around the clock under dangerous conditions to bring power back to every community. NUVELCO will not stop until service is fully restored,” he said. NUVELCO credited Task Force “Kapatid” for helping accelerate repairs. Support has come from several electric cooperatives, including Cagayan I and II, Pampanga II and III, Tarlac I and II, Zambales I, and Marinduque.

By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito has created “Task Force Uwan” to coordinate and accelerate recovery efforts in areas hit by Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung‑Wong), under Executive Order No. 22, s. 2025. The task force will be chaired by King Webster B. Balaw‑ing, Community Affairs Officer IV and head of the Public Affairs and Information Assistance Division (PAIAD) of the office of the Governor. Members include Provincial Engineer Engr. Jerry A. Tan; Provincial Agriculturist Absalom Rizal D. Baysa; Provincial Health Officer II Dr. Anthony F. Cortez; and Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Flordelina C. Granada. The PAIAD of the Governor’s office will serve as the secretariat, providing administrative support and maintaining records. Task Force Uwan will act as the province’s central body for implementing and monitoring post‑disaster rehabilitation. Its mandates include drafting, carrying out, and tracking a Post‑Disaster Rehabilitation Plan; forming committees or technical working groups as needed; mobilizing other offices, agencies, LGUs, and stakeholders; and setting protocols and timelines to meet targets. It may also perform other functions as directed by the governor. The task force must submit quarterly implementation reports and an annual accomplishments report to the governor. Funding will be sourced from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and other provincial funds, subject to existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules..    

  By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — The Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Jail (NVPJ) was named Outstanding Provincial Jail in the Philippines for the fourth time during the national convention of the Provincial Wardens Association of the Philippines (PWAP) held in the city of Mati, Davao Oriental from November 11 to 14. SFO4 Carmelo Andarada was likewise recognized for the fourth time as Outstanding Provincial Warden and was elected National President of PWAP during the same gathering. The NVPJ received multiple citations in addition to the Outstanding Provincial Jail award: Best Practice for its implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), Best Livelihood for its inmate livelihood programs, Cleanest Provincial Jail, and Child-Friendly Provincial Jail. Two jail personnel were also honored as Best Provincial Jail Employees — prison guard April Rose Lictawan and casual employee Candice Marie Alagano. The awards were presented during the PWAP national convention, which brought together wardens and jail administrators from across the country to share best practices, recognize exemplary facilities and personnel, and discuss sectoral reforms. The GCTA citation acknowledges NVPJ’s procedures in granting reductions in sentence for eligible inmates who demonstrate good conduct and comply with program requirements, while the livelihood recognition highlighted the facility’s vocational and income-generating programs for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). Andarada expressed gratitude to PWAP for the recognitions and to Nueva Vizcaya Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito for sustained support for the jail’s programs and policies, which he credited as instrumental to the awards. As incoming national president of PWAP, Andarada is expected to promote the sharing of proven practices from NVPJ with other provincial jails and to advocate for reforms that prioritize rehabilitation, humane conditions, and reintegration services. Governor Gambito extended his congratulations to the jail and its staff and reiterated his commitment to transforming NVPJ into a rehabilitation and learning center. “As a lawyer, I have observed that some PDLs become more hardened criminals upon release, which is something we want to prevent,” Gambito said. “By converting the provincial jail into a rehabilitation and learning center, we aim to equip PDLs with knowledge and skills that will help them reintegrate into society successfully.”#RMI

By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZVAYA, Philippines — The death toll in Nueva Vizcaya from Super Typhoon Uwan rose to four after rescuers on Tuesday morning recovered the body of a 10-year-old boy in Kasibu who was buried by a landslide. The child’s 12-year-old sibling survived the incident in Barangay Alloy. An initial police report said the brothers were asleep when the slope gave way. Responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine National Police and the Kasibu Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office launched a rescue but were able to save only the older child; the younger was declared dead on arrival. Kasibu police said the site was remote, reachable only after about an hour of trekking, with no mobile phone or internet signal. The town remains isolated at all entry and exit points because of multiple landslides, along with downed trees and toppled power poles blocking roads, authorities added. In a separate incident yesterday afternoon, the body of a man in his 30s was recovered in Barangay Maasin, Quezon town, after he was also buried by a landslide, according to the PNP. Police said the victim’s father traced him to a mountain hut where he had gone to secure belongings as the storm neared; when the son failed to return, the father searched the area and found the structure had been buried. Last Monday, authorities reported that 5-year-old twins from Barangay Balangabang in Kayapa died in a landslide at the height of the typhoon.

KAYAPA, Nueva Vizvaya, Philippines — A five-year-old twin boy died, crushed to death by a landslide during the height of Typhoon Uwan in Barangay Balangabang, Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, early morning, November 10. According to PMaj. Len Gomultin, chief of Kayapa PNP, they received a report landslide at around 2:30 in the morning where the victims were sleeping with their parents and another sibling when they were suddenly covered by the landslide. The father tried to save his children and brought them to the nearest hospital but the victims were declared dead on arrival. Their parents and another sibling who sustained injuries in the incident were immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. It can be recalled that Super Typhoon Uwan made landfall in the area of ​​Maria Aurora, Aurora at around 9:10 pm on November 9, moving through Nueva Vizcaya, Cordillera to La Union, accompanied by strong winds and torrential rain.  

By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 2, in partnership with the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Nueva Vizcaya, distributed checks totaling PHP 2.2 million to 58 former Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from various towns in the province today under the agency’s Reintegration Program. The release covered livelihood grants ranging from P8,000 to P20,000, as well as medical and bereavement assistance of PHP 5,000 to P20,000 for eligible beneficiaries. The awarding was led by Provincial Board Member Flodemonte S. Gerdan on behalf of Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito, alongside Alma D. Chavente, head of OWWA Region 2’s Reintegration Unit, and Dolly Rose C. Minas of the Governor’s Office Public Employment Service Division, who oversees the province’s OFW Welfare Center. Chavente commended the provincial government for establishing the OFW Welfare Center, which she noted is the first of its kind in the region and a significant support hub for OFWs in the province. Gerdan reiterated the provincial government’s commitment to OFWs and urged beneficiaries to use the financial assistance wisely to build sustainable livelihoods and avoid the need to work abroad and leave their families. OWWA’s Reintegration Program is a set of initiatives designed to help returning OFWs and their families become productive members of their communities upon their return to the Philippines.

By Rachel Magday   NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — Eleven college students with disabilities in Nueva Vizcaya have received educational assistance from the provincial government through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) under its Tulong Dunong Program. The beneficiaries, who study at various tertiary institutions across the province, were personally handed their assistance by Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito. He commended the students for pursuing higher education despite their disabilities and urged them to complete their degrees. “Finish your studies; that is the key to improving and uplifting your life. When you graduate, come here and apply for a job, and if I am still the governor, you will be given priority for employment,” Gambito said. One beneficiary, Angelo Gabriel Patawig, a political science student at St Mary’s University in Bayombong, expressed gratitude, noting that he has been a regular recipient of the Tulong Dunong educational assistance from his first year until now as a graduating student. He said the support has been a significant help, especially since his parents do not have stable livelihoods. Patawig advised fellow students with disabilities not to be defined by physical limitations: “Do not dwell on our physical limitations. My mindset is that I am normal and can do everything to achieve my dreams.” The Tulong Dunong Program aims to support at least the partial cost of tertiary education, including education-related expenses of its grantees.