Diwata - Women In
Resource Development, Inc. (Diwata), celebrated its 10th Anniversary on 18 July
2023 with a cocktail reception at the Ayala Museum, the same venue where it was
launched on Nelson Mandela Day in 2012.
Although Diwata was
founded 11 years ago on 18 July 2012, it was not able to hold in-person
activities during the pandemic. Due to
the “lost year”, Diwata chose to mark its 10th anniversary this
year.
Diwata is a
non-government organization advocating the responsible development of the
Philippines’ wealth in resources, principally in extractive industries such as
mining, oil and gas, quarrying, and other mineral resources from the earth for
processing. Since its founding, Diwata has consistently provided a platform to
promote the responsible development of the Philippines’ wealth in resources. The
organization also promotes initiatives to protect the land and communities,
particularly indigenous people, with its flagship project “Tanging Tanglaw:
Turning IP Grandmothers into Solar Engineers” focusing on improving the
livelihood, health, education, and culture of indigenous people.
Diwata was
founded by Ambassador Delia Domingo Albert, a Filipina career diplomat who
served as the first female and 23rd Philippine Secretary of Foreign
Affairs. She also previously served as
Special Envoy for Mining and chaired the Minerals Development Council.
Ambassador
Albert recounts that, “challenged by the slackening situation” in the
mining industry, she decided to re-group the former members of the Minerals Development Council. Since
the initial meeting was attended mainly by women professionals from the
industry who worked as geologists, mining engineers, lawyers, communication
officers and in other mining-related professions, she was
inspired to form an all-women organization that will provide a
"human face" to the mining industry by focusing on projects
to help indigenous women in mining and other areas. The group
decided to call the organization “Diwata” after the mythical guardians and
goddesses of the mountains.
The anniversary
event was well attended by members of the diplomatic corps, mining executives,
and “Friends of Diwata”, among many others. Department of Environment and
Natural Resources Secretary Maria
Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, was the Guest of
Honor and Keynote Speaker for the evening.
In her speech, Secretary
Loyzaga focused on how climate change can affect mining operations and women
within mining communities. She said that “since women are typically
characterized as the most vulnerable to changes in the local environment and,
the fact that their multiple social roles can lead to the intersectionality of their
vulnerabilities, they should be given an essential platform to lead and be the
keys to solutions in many conversations by harnessing the unique perspectives,
to cope and adapt, the knowledge, skills, and experiences women bring to
mineral exploration.”
Loyzaga also
pointed out that groups such as Diwata can drive integrity, innovation,
efficiency, improve safety measures, and promote sustainable practices in
mining. “The intersectionality of vulnerability that women face also gives rise
to the intersectionality of opportunity where one single and incremental shift
towards resilience can cascade and have multiple positive benefits.”
Diwata’s Founding
President, Atty. Patricia A. O. Bunye presented Diwata’s “10-year Achievements,
Milestones and Looking Ahead”, highlighting the activities and projects which are most
significant or representative of what Diwata does, notably its: (1) educational
fora in line with Diwata’s objective of serving as a neutral platform for the
discussion of issues on mining; (2) engagement with media; (3) visits to mines
with the best practices in rehabilitation, sustainable development programs,
and community projects; and (4) geoscience training for high school teachers.
Bunye traced the
beginnings of the Tanging Tanglaw Project in 2014, when Diwata, together with
its project partners the Philippine Mine Safety & Environment Association and
the Land Rover Club of the Philippines, sent off its first
batch of ‘Solar Lolas’ to train at the Barefoot College in Tilonia, India to
learn how to assemble,
repair, and maintain solar panels. After the training in India, the panels were
installed in their respective communities in Bamban, Tarlac and Gala,
Zambales. The training was made possible through the Indian Technical and
Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) of the Indian Government.
This year, on
08 March 2023, Diwata received a grant from USAID Energy Secure Philippines
(USAID ESP) for the Tanging Tanglaw Project. Previously, Diwata’s engagement in
the project had been supported by funding from sponsorships. With the USAID ESP grant, Diwata now has the
means to take the project to its next phases, which include: (1) studying the
community’s water needs and installing solar-powered water pumps; (2) training
more Solar Lolas; (3) funding educational programs; and (4) replicating the
project in other communities.
The grant will be implemented over a period of two (2)
years, during which Diwata, under USAID ESP’s guidance, will work on these
initiatives which it hopes will leave a lasting positive impact on the
community.
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