Armante L. Sabacajan

Bong, as he is fondly called, hails from Davao City. He is married with 3 daughters. At present, he is FCF’s Senior System Project Specialist under the Commercial Department. His journey with FCF Minerals Corporation started in 2008 as a GIS Database Specialist. He left in 2011 after the completion of the exploration stage and came back in 2013 for the Mining operation phase. Mr. Sabacajan has contributed so much in advancing the way we collect, store and share data. He computerized our processes and continues to improve on his programs and develop ways to make our tasks easier. His projects allowed us to make decisions intelligently and manage our operations efficiently.

His career milestones include the creation of the Mine Production Management System in 2014, a web-based application. The system acts as a centralized hub, streamlining data management procedures and fostering a more reliable and consolidated approach to handling information in the mining context. In 2019, he developed the Materials Movement Report which is one of the most utilized programs of the mining department.

His latest project, the Mine Production Mobile Application, was conceptualized in 2021 and is a key element of the Mine Production Management System application. Written in Java programming language, it is designed to operate on Android OS smartphone devices. The primary objective of this application is to facilitate paperless transactions, ensure efficient data management, and monitor GPS location and truck hauling activities. The need for this innovation arose from the observation that the current system relies heavily on paper-based forms. Operators were required to fill out forms documenting their activities, which were then handed over to the data entry clerk for encoding. Similarly, equipment fault tracking logs were recorded on forms and submitted to data entry clerks. Issues such as incorrect time and location entries, inconsistent working location names, illegible handwriting, and time-consuming repetitive tasks prompted the development of this mobile application. These numerous challenges of data collection in the mine site became an opportunity and gave birth to the Mine Production Mobile Application.

Critical production information from the mine pit is now transmitted to the Mine Office in real time with a high level of accuracy. Mining equipment activities are now viewed in real time from the Mine Office allowing productive monitoring and directing from superiors. This remarkable innovation resulted in streamlining laborious procedures. Utilizing Android smartphones, mining operations can now be carried out without relying on traditional paper systems. The amount of data entry tasks has been significantly decreased, truck productivity has been increased, equipment faults and defects logs have been addressed promptly, and the utilization of GPS tracking services in mobile applications enabled the real-time input of information including the equipment’s location on the map.