TUBA, Benguet – Rep. Eric Yap urged the youth of the Philex Mining Corporation to take up courses that are in demand globally when enrolling in higher education institutions inside and outside the province.
Yap, who was the guest of honor and speaker during the 64th feast of the Sto. Niño de Prague, patron saint of the Philex Mining Corporation in Padcal, rallied the youth to do away with love life and instead concentrate in their studies because their love life can wait.
He claimed that those taking up their basic education studies should set their sights in taking up in demand courses such as nursing, engineering, architecture, among others, to ensure that they will be gainfully employed locally and overseas.
The lawmaker said that for those wanting to pursue higher education, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is offering financial assistance to help the students in their quest for quality education and for them to have the necessary degree to have gainful employment locally and overseas.
He agreed to the saying that education is still the best inheritance that parents and guardians could give their children or wards because it could not be easily taken away from them and which could be used to help in improving the living condition of their families.
According to him, the youth must also be ready in time for the worst case scenario in Philex once it will reach the projected end of mine life by 2028 so that they will be prepared to take up the courses that are currently in demand in the global arena for them to be easily employed elsewhere and have alternative sources of income that will help their families.
He lauded the Philex management for its unrelenting and uncompromising efforts to further extend the projected end of mine life by exploring possible ore deposits in neighboring communities of Padcal so that the Philex community will be maintained.
According to him, he personally knows Philex chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and that he also knows that the businessman of him will not simply allow the people in the Philex community to be affected by the projected end of mine life by 2028 and that all available efforts will be exerted by the company to further extend the same for the welfare of the workers and the host and neighboring communities.
For the past several years, the projected end of mine life of Philex had been extended around six times considering the various factors affecting the operation of the mining company, particularly the prevailing high world metal prices that is keeping the company’s operations sustainable and feasible to date.
Philex is considered as the largest gold and copper producer in the country that had been operational over the past 67 years since its corporatization in 1958.
The company celebrates the annual feast of its patron saint, the Sto. Niño de Prague every third week of January. By Dexter A. See