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BAGUIO CITY—“The
mining industry is bullish and taking off again after
many years of dormancy.” This was the assessment of
Ernie Rodriguez, president of the Philippine Mine Safety
and Environment Association (PMSEA), during the 54th
PMSEA Annual National Mine Safety observance.
But
while there is an increase in foreign investors in the
mining industry, the country is lagging behind in
providing skilled workers to keep the industry alive.
Last
year there was a shortage of 450 mining engineers, and
this year the unmet demand has increased to 970.
Roger
Casido, former PMSEA president, said the shortage in
engineers and workers is expected to balloon in the next
few years, especially with the anticipated entry of
Atlas Mining, which will right away require 15,000
personnel.
“The
growth of the mining industry is faster than our
producing not only mining engineers, but also
geologists, metallurgists and other skilled workers like
drivers, technicians, blasters,” he said.
Casido
said the few mining engineers in the country are also
lured by higher salaries abroad.
“Here
the starting salary for a fresh graduate ranges from
P8,000 to P10,000 but can increase up to P80,000, with
work experience of about five years, if hired by a
foreign company. But abroad, like in
Africa or the
US, the
salary of a mining engineer is around $8,000,” Casido
said.
Casido
said that the industry is encouraging schools to open a
course in engineering to add to the five universities
offering it, including University of the Philippines,
St. Louis University (SLU) in Baguio, Mapua, San Carlos
University and Cebu Institute of Technology.
SLU and
Mapua have suspended their mining engineering course for
lack of takers. Casido said that Mapua will be reopening
its mining engineering course next school year, provided
there are at least 15 enrollees. Casido has also urged
SLU to reopen the course next year.
“We have
plenty of scholarship grants, and we are focusing not so
much on high-school students but those already in other
disciplines of engineering or those already in college,”
Casido said. He said that there is also a preference for
dependents of miners in mining communities where mining
is most appreciated.
Casido
said they want to ensure the establishment of
world-class institutions and not the mushrooming of
substandard mining schools.
Casido
said that UP has 37 students and last year graduated 12,
10 of whom came from other engineering disciplines.
Rodriguez also said the country is one of the
fastest-growing mining industry in the Asean. He said
that the country has 10 million hectares of highly
mineralized land, with only 3 percent of it tapped for
mining.
“By
world standards, we are No. 3 in gold reserves, No. 5 in
nickel, No. 6 in chromite and 10 in copper,” Rodriquez
said.
Casido
added that there has been a great demand for chromite
from the Philippines for the Beijing Olympics next year.
Chromite-rich countries such as
Africa and
India have established a policy not to export chromite
but to process it in their countries. He said he hoped
that the
Philippines
would also process its own in the near future. |
