ITOGON, Benguet -- Small-scale miners here continue to get skills training from the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Engineer Manuel Wong, Tesda-CAR acting director, said they are currently conducting community-based training in Ampucao, Itogon for 25 out of school youth and displaced miners.
Wong in a press conference said Tesda provided assistance to the victims of Typhoon Ompong in Itogon which reached P3 million.
He added that 268 male and female graduated last year for Shield Metal Arc Welding National Certificate l, Masonry NC ll, Carpentry NC ll, Enterprise Information Management NC ll, and Basic Customer Services under the “Bangon Itogon skills training program.”
“Through the effort of the Province of Benguet and regional office of Tesda-CAR, we collected funds to be given as an immediate response for Itogon to those who were affected in typhoon Ompong,” Wong said. “Aside from the skills training that we conducted for these beneficiaries, we also gave them allowance during the duration of the training program to at least replace their lost livelihood.”
On the same day, Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said the stoppage of mining activities in the region is the reason the town suffered as 80 percent of the people of Itogon depend on mining.
Palangdan also appealed to different national line agencies of their continuous support to the municipality.
Typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut) hit the country and left more than 90 casualties in this mining town. Miners were then asked stop their activities with a region-wide stoppage order of Department of Environment and Nature Resources.