Engr. Rodante B. Felina discussing the context of Responsible Mining to the Senior High School students of Lugait National High School

On February 26, 2020, MGB X conducted an IEC on Mining Laws and Responsible Mining to the Senior High School students of Lugait National High School. More than one hundred students participated with the said activity. The presentation was given by Mr. Rodante B. Felina, the chief of Mine Safety, Environment and Social Development Division, about “Responsible Mining Awareness.”

The activity started with an ice breaker where students were more than game as they danced and laughed following the video showed on the screen. After which, Engr. Rodante B. Felina started his presentation.

At the start, the students were still quite skeptical about responsible mining. With the lack of knowledge, and how it is represented by the media, some students raised their concern and firmly showed their stand—being against it. Mr. Felina, however, took it as a good opportunity to show them a more comprehensive idea of what responsible mining is and to also make them understand more on the pros of mining. After the presentation, students were enlightened about the topic as smiles were evident on their faces. Continue reading »

The 2020 MGB Geoscience Workshop was held at Quezon City on February 10 to 14.  The Workshop gathered geologists from the MGB-Central Office Lands Geological Survey Division (LGSD) and from the regional Geosciences Divisions to report on the accomplishments on the various geoscience Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs) for CY 2019, discuss issues and concerns encountered in the conduct of the projects, present the CY 2020 targets, and to update and standardize methodologies and maps.

Atty. Wilfredo G. Moncano, Director of the Mines and Geoscience Bureau, graced the occasion on the opening day and gave an update on the possible creation of two(2) new departments, the Department of Disaster Resilience and the Department of Water.

Parallel sessions were held to discuss the various MGB geoscience programs – Geohazards Program, Geologic Quadrangle Mapping Program, Groundwater Assessment Program, and the Mineral Reservation Program.

Geologists attended the Annual Geological Convention (GEOCON 2019) held at the Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila on 2019. December 4 to 5.  GEOCON 2019 had for its theme, “Geoscience for a resilient and sustainable Philippines”.

The Geological Convention is an annual gathering of geologists in the Philippines organized by the Geological Society of the Philippines. Technical papers of research and recent innovations were presented. There were three sessions with different topics, namely, Tectonics and Geodynamics, Multidisciplinary Approaches, and Stratigraphy and Paleontology.  Among the presentations was “The October 2019 Cotabato earthquake sequence: Parameters and Impacts” presented by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The MGB-X delegation (from left to right) Brenz Ryan B. Bautista, Geologist II; Osin A. Sinsuat, Jr., Chief Geologist; Daphne Niccole G. Galero, Supervising Geologist, with the Best Technical Paper and Best Presenter trophies; RD Efren B. Carido; Rogin Aron B. Montalan, Senior Geologist.

2019. November 19 was a night to remember for the MGB-X delegation led by Regional Director Efren B. Carido when its technical paper, “Karst Subsidence Hazard Assessment in the Municipality of Opol in the Province of Misamis Oriental”, bested other technical papers from the MGB Central Office and other MGB Regional Offices to win the Best Technical Paper award at the 2019 MGB Annual Technical Forum held at the Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre on 2019. November 18-19. First-time presenter, Ms. Daphne Niccole G. Galero, Supervising Geologist, also won the Best Presenter award.

Mr. Allen C. Cameros of MGB-XI won the Best Policy Paper award for his paper, entitled, “Measuring Customer Satisfaction Project FACE (Feedback and Assessment on Customer Experience): MGB XI’s Electronic Customer Satisfaction Survey.

MGB-X personnel performing initial emergency actions on a dummy during the rescuer skills evaluation under the supervision of CDRRMD-Oro Rescue.

Training on Disaster Preparedness, First Aid, and Basic Life Support was spearheaded by the MGB-X GAD Focal Point System in cooperation with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department of Cagayan de Oro held at the MGB-X Conference Room and premises from October 2 to 4, 2019.  Five rescuers from CDRRMD-Oro Rescue trained the participants on the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to help sustain life in an emergency and minimize the consequences of respiratory and cardiac crises until more advanced medical help arrives. Thirteen MGB-X personnel managed to complete the entirety of the three-day event.

The first two days of the learning event focused on the theory, concepts and presentation of the proper basic life support (BLS) techniques and procedures that include emergency action principles, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED), rescue breathing, and management of foreign body airway obstructions. On the second day, hands-on demonstrations of previously taught skill sets were held. Participants were evaluated based on their ability to initiate BLS and deliver high quality CPR on adult and infant dummies. Continue reading »