Mining Communities and Social Development

4/30/2016

Excerpt:

Currently, the state mandates mining operators to actively take part in the development of their respective host communities. Mining operators in the country are required to directly spend for and implement programs that will benefit mining communities through the Social Development and Management Program (SDMP).SMDP is a five-year comprehensive plan geared towards “sustained improvement in the living standards of host and neighboring communities by creating responsible, self-reliant and resource-based communities capable of developing, implementing and managing community development programs, projects, and activities in a manner consistent with the principles of sustainable development.34”SDMP shares the similar objective of corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR of the mining industry intends to “contribute to the sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, local community and society at large to improve the quality of life, in ways that are good for business and good for development.” Companies may also engage in CSR activities to generate goodwill or increase the social acceptability of their operations.

About the author:

Anton Miguel Ragos is a researcher from Action for Economic Reforms, a non-government organization conducting policy analysis and advocacy on key issues of economic reforms and access to information policies. He has written on various fiscal policy issues, particularly on tax policy reforms. He is currently an MA Economics student at the UP School of Economics.