THE Didipio Mine granted P4 million to the Saint Louis University in Baguio City to augment the equipment of its mining engineering laboratory.
Atty. Joan Adaci-Cattiling, Didipio Mine president, recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the university for the grant.
“This is a mutually beneficial relationship for all, as we have scholars studying here, and we have SLU graduates in our workforce. SLU must be proud of the quality of their graduates and professionals it has produced, especially our mining engineers, and our grant will hopefully contribute to continue making this possible,” Atty. Adaci-Cattiling said.
The fund will be used to purchase an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), which is an instrument used to detect elements using certain wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation; and a furnace to heat materials to very high temperatures.
Atty. Adaci-Cattiling said the equipment will be used to train future mining professionals who will safely and responsibly mine the country’s mineral resources.
The grant is under the Didipio Mine’s Development of Mining Technology and Geosciences (DMTG) program, which aims to advance mining technology and the geosciences. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 2 approved the project when the company presented it for inclusion in the Mine’s DMTG.
“This grant will help our future mining engineers to enhance their skills, as we need to continue developing and having fresh graduates,” MGB Region 2 Director Engineer Mario Ancheta said noting that there is a large demand for mining professionals here in the Philippines and abroad.
The SLU grant follows the P5 million grant to the University of the Philippines Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) for the modernization of the mining and metallurgical laboratories in the UP Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering (DMMME) as part of the Mine’s full support to the development of the industry.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to your generosity to our institution. Your donations are your gifts for SLU’s students’ academic excellence, and the excellence, performance and work of the beneficiaries will be our gift to the community and to the world. Thank you very much,” said Dr. Joselito Gutierrez, Executive Secretary to the president of SLU.
Engr. Ancheta, Didipio Mine External Affairs and Communications Manager Marjorie Idio, SLU School of Engineering and Architecture Associate Dean Engr. Caroline Moncada, and SLU Chemical and Mining Engineering department head Engr. Melissa May Boado witnessed the signing of the MoA. LCD