Bio+Mine’s Eco Team conducted sampling activities in select sayote farms within the Sto. Niño legacy mine site in Tublay last 8 December 2023. The collected plant and soil samples will be analyzed for possible heavy metal accumulation.
The Bio+Mine team turned over water tanks, hose pipes, and other water distribution equipment to the Sto. Niño, Tublay community on 31 January 2024. The materials will help provide the community additional water supply for domestic use.
The Bio+Mine Water Team presented papers at the International Water Association 20th International Conference on Diffuse Pollution & Eutrophication at Daegu, South Korea on 6 – 8 December 2023.
The Bio+Mine Eco Team’s mesocosm experiment reached its Day 60 halfway milestone last 11 December 2023.
The Bio+Mine team, in partnership with the Benguet Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, facilitated a 3-day training on disaster preparedness for the community in Sto. Niño, Ambassador, Tublay. The training was held at the Sto. Niño Development Center on 6-8 November 2023.
Nakhon Pathom, Thailand – The Bio+Mine Ecological Team, represented by Dr. Mylah Villacorte-Tabelin and Miss Alissa Jane Mondejar from the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, participated in the Practical Bioinformatics Skills for Plant and Animal Whole Genome Sequencing Data Training held at the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, Kamphaeng Saen Campus of the Kasetsart University in Thailand on August 28 to September 1, 2023.
The Pontino Elementary School and Sto. Niño Elementary School in Tublay, Benguet Province, are collaborating with the Bio+Mine team to foster socio-civic responsibility and uphold knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among the youth through a Book Writing Workshop.
On August 31, 2023, the Bio+Mine PH Team presented the ecological activities of the Bio+Mine project during the Regular Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) Meeting held at the H100 Ecolodge, Baguio City. The presentation to the Board was a part of the PAMB clearance application for Bio+Mine to construct a screen house for mesocosm experiments at the Bugtong Family Farm located at Sto. Niño mine site, a part of the protected Upper Agno River Basin Resource Reserve.
The Bio+Mine team participated in a conference and disclosure activity with the Atok community to formally introduce the project to the community. This activity was facilitated by the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) on August 10, 2023 at the Sitio Caliking Multi-purpose Hall, Caliking, Atok.
On September 1, 2023, the Bio+Mine team attended the NCIP-facilitated Consensus Building and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing with the Atok IP elders and community members at Sitio Damsite Multi-purpose Hall, Sitio Damsite. This activity is in accordance with the team’s application for a Certification Precondition (CP) to conduct sampling activities at the Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) located in Sitio Damsite, Caliking, Atok.
