The cultural creativity and participation of our stakeholder communities shone through recently when citizens of Zamboanga Sibugay, a young province in Mindanao, Southern Philippines, broke their own Guinness World Record for the longest line of . . . grilled oysters! So tell the world, and ensure that the event is recorded for posterity, TVI Resource Development (Phils.), Inc. (TVIRD) arranged for media coverage and had photos taken on board the Company’s chartered on one of its business runs.

With the succulent shellfish – locally known as talaba – set on grills put up residents along the side of a 1.4 - kilometer stretch of road, the province made history anew February 24 to beat its own 1.2 – kilometer record set just last year.

Tons of fresh talaba were brought from Kabasalan coastal town and grilled for the festivity. Guinness officials were on hand to certify the feat, documented by representatives of the national and local media and participated un by some 30 thousand Sibugay residents and tourist who lined up the 1.4 – kilometer winding road from the top of a hill where the provincial capitol is located.

The Talaba Festival is held every February when Zamboanga Sibugay celebrates its founding anniversary. Zamboanga Sibugay came onto its own in February 2001 through the initiative of then Congressman and now Provincial Governor George T. Hofer who worked hard for the passage of Republic Act 8973, the law that created the Province of  Zamboanga Sibugay and spun it off from the Province of Zamboanga del Sur.

Talaba is among the high quality aquamarine products that come from the 16 municipalities of Sibugay, primarily a rubber-producing province.

Several Sibugay barangays (smallest political unit in the Philippines) are among the impact communities of the Company’s Gold-Copper Canatuan Project in Siocon of the adjacent Zamboanga del Norte Province – and subjects of our Company’s programs to promote sustainable economic development and culture.