At first glance, 37-year old Aeleen Pearl Y. Caringal may look like just any doting mother to two precocious, beautiful kids.

But scratch the surface and you’re going to find beneath a fierce, hard-working woman who leads one of the biggest all-women groups in the mining industry.

As president of Women in Mining (WIM) in Cagdianao Mining Corporation (CMC), Ms. Caringal plays a major role in steering the group in the right direction as it helps the company implement its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Organized in December 2014, WIM is envisioned as a vital component of CMC’s effort for a responsible corporate citizenship.

More importantly, the all-women group also seeks to fulfill the government’s mandate to recognize the role of women in national development.

This mandate is encapsulated in various laws and declarations, such as Proclamation No. 224 declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week; Proclamation no. 227 providing for the observance of the month of March as Women’s Role in History month; and Republic Act (RA) 6949 declaring Match 8 of every year as National Women’s Day.

WIM also plays a central role in fulfilling CMC’s commitment to promote gender and development (GAD), which focuses on the principle of equal opportunities for all.

Out of the many programs under CSR, the WIM outreach program every end of the mining season is considered as the biggest and most important for the organization.

During this time, WIM members are out in the field to bring smiles to people in far-flung areas where access to electricity, communication and transportation and other government services is limited or absent altogether.

The WIM gift-giving activity is CMC’s way to give back to the community, where kids receive school supplies, toys, slippers, dental kit and other goods.

Throughout the years, WIM has helped organized CSR outreach programs to the following: Bethel Children’s Home in Barangay Serna, Surigao City with 40 children as beneficiaries; Brgy. Poblacion, Cagdianao, involving 800 children; Barangay Del Pilar, Sitio Lajagon and Manoligao, Cagdianao, which benefited 650 children; and Barangay New Nazareth in Basilisa town, with 350 child recipients.

On top of the annual outreach programs, WIM officers also facilitate various skills and development training for community women to lift them from poverty by providing them stable employment. These skills training include:

·Training for 12 lady drivers in 2015 in partnership with TESDA. Apprenticeship for dump truck and service vehicles then followed, with some trainees eventually gaining employment in CMC

·Training for another 21 lady drivers in 2017 in partnership with TESDA. The trainees were accepted as OJTs for two months, followed by a six-month apprentice until 2018.

·As of 2018, the all-women driving program has resulted in the employment of 22 women drivers, one of whom was regularized. In 2018, the training program was expanded to include off-highway dump truck driving, for which all the trainees received NCII certification from TESDA. One trainee, Alma Bonita, was eventually employed as a regular driver and even competed in Thailand Volvo driving contest in the year 2017.

Caringal is not done yet, despite her group’s accomplishments. For the next few months, she has proposed programs to strengthen the organization.

One of these involve a workshop for members to formulate the group’s vision, mission, goals and objectives to guide for the years to come.

“Women should engage more in training for skills and development to make them more capable and productive, be it at home or at the workplace. Women should not even be contented as drivers, and should also aim to become heavy equipment operators. WIM’s mission is to push the boundaries further and put more women in jobs traditionally occupied by men,” said Caringal.

WOMAN BARANGAY LEADER

Hon. Divine Eupeña, 38, is the chairperson of Barangay Boa, municipality of Cagdianao, after emerging winner during the barangay elections in 2018.

She is currently the only woman occupying an elective position in this coastal town.

A mother to one child, Chairwoman Eupeña has distinguished herself as a responsive public servant, always supportive of CMC in all programs that benefit her constituents.

“I am very thankful for the support of NAC-CMC to the barangay specially in the programs and activities from the Social Development and Management Program,” Eupeña said.

“Sa akong minahal na Boanons mapasalamaton ako sa padajun nijo na suporta sa mga programa nan ato barangay, ini na mga kalambuan dili lamang kon para sa mga namunuan kon dili amu ini gasa sa intero komunidad nan ato barangay. Ubani kami sa paglawig para sa mas mauswagong Barangay Boa. (To my beloved Boanons, I'm thankful for your continued support of our programs in the barangay. These development initiatives will hopefully improve the lives of everyone and not just the few. Let's journey together for a more progressive Barangay Boa.),” Eupeña added.

BEST PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATION LEADER

Ms. Ruperta Seda, a resident of Brgy. Valencia has been the manager of Cagdianao Valencia Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CVAMPCO, formerly the Carnation Women’s Credit Cooperative) since 2015.

The cooperative was officially registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) on June 11, 2011.

With her good management, CVAMPCO has expanded its membership over the years to provide employment for barangay residents.

From a starting capital of P33,500 in 2010 with 21 members, the cooperative is now worth P300,000 and its membership has ballooned to 210.

Under Seda’s leadership and with the support of CMC, CVAMPCO has organized skills training and seminars to help the organization grow and diversity its income sources.

"Slowly but surely, we managed to sustain our business. Our members chose me as chairperson of the cooperative, until I was selected to manage the business in 2015. I thank our members for their confidence in me," said Nay Ruperta.

She added:"I'm also thankful to CMC for entrusting this business to us and for supporting us over the years. Our dream now is for the cooperative to endure so that we can pass this to our children so that they can continue our legacy."