The Socio-Economic Impact of Mining Companies to Their Host Communities in Northern Part of Surigao Del Sur Province

The operation of mining companies in the province has generated various impacts on their host and surrounding communities. No wonder, mining companies consistently provide inputs and support to sustain their services for the welfare of the community. This paper reports the findings of a study undertaken to assess the socio-economic impact of mining companies to their host communities in the northern part of Surigao Del Sur Province. This paper also presents the perceptions of respondents based on their socio-economic background and identified possible ways on how to deal with its impacts. Purposive sampling was employed in the selection of the participants. Data were collected through the researcher-made questionnaire, which solicits the socio-economic impacts and how these impacts are perceived by the host community. Findings revealed that mining companies have brought positive impacts on the socio-economic status of the people. The resources were wisely shared to the community through offering various activities and programs. However, even if the companies have been helpful to their community, yet, they have not done much to please the other aspects. The increasing records on low-paid employment position stressed public and health services, occurring prevalent diseases and over population are few of the evident that require much attention from the companies. Hence, conscious effort with the assistance of the government and other concern agencies should be practiced to mitigate the increasing undesirable impacts.