"It is a global phenomenon. Mining industries in other countries also lack technical people," he said.
Villaluna admitted the industry has declined in the last 10 years, attributing the doldrums to the low prices of metal.
Mining companies in the country are luring students to enroll in mining engineering course by providing scholarships to qualified individuals.
This has been one of the strategies adopted to get more professionals into the industry. The country's problem on the shortage of mining engineers is aggravated by opportunities abroad.
Philex, for its part, drafted a memorandum of agreement with the Saint Louis University (SLU) for the reopening of mining engineering courses this June.
Philex resident manager Eulalio Austin said the company will refurbish the mining laboratory equipment and will provide P1 million financial assistance to the school.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) has yet to be signed. SLU stopped offering mining engineering courses in 1987.
The school, Austin said, had been conducting surveys to determine if there are enough high school students interested in the course to merit its re-offering.
The company is not discounting the possibility that students enrolled in other engineering courses would shift to mining. (JC)
