Mining scholars best 32,798 teachers board examinees

MANILA, Philippines - Christie Lou Carillo, 20 years old, and Cristine Joy Tediong, 21 years old, both college scholars of mining company Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) in South Cotabato bested 32,798 examinees to top the 2012 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) for elementary level.

Both a graduate of the Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU) in South Cotabato, Carillo was a top placer with Tediong landing at the sixth spot for the LET administered on Sept. 30 this year.

SMI is the government contractor for the proposed Tampakan copper-gold project in South Cotabato.

Company records show that the mining company has supported 12,872 students from preschool, high school, and college for the school year 2010-2011. It has also provided additional school supply assistance to some 15,557 students and salary support for 22 public school teachers as part of the company’s educational support program covering the provinces of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani in southern Mindanao.

SMI’s educational support program also covers adult literacy and ladderized education.

“My scholarship helped a lot since it made me focus on my studies and my exam,” Carillo said.

According to Carillo, she received a full tuition scholarship and a monthly allowance from SMI during her third and fourth year stay in college.

“SMI is really trying to help the communities in the area; the company provided an opportunity and I grabbed it,” Carillo said.

“When I graduated from high school in 2008, my mother told me she could not afford to send me to college,” Tediong said.

Tediong, a Blaan tribe member, said “she really wanted to finish college and so they approached their tribal chieftain and availed of a scholarship sponsored by their tribal foundation and SMI.”

“I enjoyed a full college scholarship for four straight years, receiving free tuition and a monthly allowance,” Tediong said.

Tediong said the scholarship programs for Blaans are helping their tribal communities produce graduates and professionals from among their tribes.

There are about 13,000 Blaan tribe members in South Cotabato and Davao del Sur.

“When I took the exam, the company was my inspiration; I wanted to do well as my way of thanking them for the scholarship,” Tediong said.

Carillo is now teaching in Koronadal, South Cotabato and plans to take up masteral studies.

Tediong, on the other hand, is teaching at a day care center in Tampakan.