BAGUIO CITY – Philex Mining Corporation turned over to the Saint Louis University (SLU) mining engineering laboratory the newly refurbished fire assay equipment that will be used by the students in enhancing their knowledge of the lucrative mining industry while they are still studying in the institution.
Philex president and chief executive officer Engr. Eulalio B. Austin, Jr. and other ranking company officials provided SLU with an added equipment units mining engineering laboratory for the students to have a first-hand experience on the use of the fire assay equipment and for them to familiarize themselves with the various units of equipment being used in the mine site.
Austin said the company remains committed in the further advancement of the mining engineering course that will produce more graduates in mining engineering who will benefit from the robust growth of the industry in the future.
Philex spent around P800,000 for the refurbishment of the fire assay equipment being used in the SLU mining engineering laboratory aside from its previous donation of pulverizer amounting to around P500,000.
“We want upcoming mining engineers to be appraised of the various units of equipment being used in the mine site while they are still studying so that they will not be shocked once they will be exposed to the real situation of the industry in the future. We remain committed for the sustained upgrading of the SLU mining engineering laboratory for the benefit of the students<”Austin stressed.
SLU closed its mining engineering course in 2004 following the slump in the country’s mineral industry but it reopened the said course in 2009 after the mining industry was able to rebound from the slump up to the present.
Dr. Jose Marie Pangilinan, SLU vice president for administration, expressed the institution’s gratitude to Philex Mining Corporation for its uncompromising and unwavering support to the strengthening of the school’s mining engineering course because the present and future batches of mining engineering students will surely benefit from the use of the donated units of equipment.
The turnover ceremony was attended by Philex vice president for operations and resident manager Engr. Manuel Agcaoili, community relations department manager Engr. Aurora Dulipas, chief of the legal and administrative division lawyer Eduardo M. Aratas, SLU College of Engineering and Architecture Dean Engr. Cynthia Posadas and mining engineering department head Engr. Rommel Santos and Engr. Brent Pagteilan and Engr. Santi Bugnosen of the Cordillera office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-CAR).
For his part, Engr. Santos said SLU will continue to relay on the support of Philex for the continuous upgrading of its mining engineering laboratory and the rendering of probono teaching load for some of its engineers so that students will be able to strike a balance between theory and actual practice.
Austin instructed members of the Philippine Society of Mining Engineers Philex chapter to render probono teaching load in the situation so that students will be able to learn from them the real picture in the industry where they intend to work after graduation.
By HENT