Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga led the unveiling ceremony of the Copper and Gold Project of Silangan Mindanao Mining Company, Inc. (SMMCI) on May 28, 2025 in Barangay Timamana, Municipality of Tubod, Province of Surigao del Norte. Key officials including DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations-Mindanao Joselin Marcus E. Fragada, SMMCI President and Chief Executive Officer Eualio B. Austin, Jr., Surigao del Norte Governor Robert Lyndon S. Barbers, and Congressman Robert Ace S. Barbers took part in the said ceremony. In her keynote message, Secretary Loyzaga highlighted the project’s importance not only to local economic growth but also to the national agenda of promoting responsible and sustainable mineral development. Secretary Loyzaga emphasized that the country’s true competitive advantage lies not merely in mineral extraction, but in the way resources are mined. She stressed that the nation’s mineral wealth should be measured not only by continue reading : DENR Secretary leads unveiling ceremony of SMMCI Copper and Gold Project
