Beroning Nickel Corporation (BNC) was recognized as the 2021 Gender Sensitive Mining Company in the MIMAROPA Region by the DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau during a virtual event in support of the 2021 National Women’s Month Celebration.

BNC was lauded for enabling and empowering women to rise from the ranks and lead in a male-dominated profession, thereby advancing gender quality and women empowerment in the minerals industry.

“We believe that women have a place in mining. They just need the right support and opportunity to prove themselves,” said DMCI Mining president Tulsi Das Consunji Reyes.

During the same event, two BNC employees were honored as the Most Empowered Women in Mining in the MIMAROPA Region for 2021.

Rofely M. Saldajeno, a widowed mother of three, worked as a mine site security guard before joining BNC as an ore checker. When BNC launched its free training program for backhoe operators in 2015, she was one of the five women who signed up.

Originally hired as a mining secretary, Deborah A. Arquio availed of the company’s free trainings and career development seminars, which paved the way to her promotion as Mine Administration Supervisor and now Officer-in-Charge of the Community Relations department.

BNC is a subsidiary of DMCI Mining, a majority-owned company of DMCI Holdings.

DMCI Holdings is one of only three Filipino companies included in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI). The reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and pro-women brand.