DATU PAGLAS, Maguindanao - At least two female students from conflict-laden areas in Mindanao will become the first Mindanao Muslim ladies to become mining engineers in the country once they pass the government licensure examination.
In a statement issued by the Growth with Equity in Mindanao 3 (GEM3) Program, the two female students and the 13 others are currently provided with financial support to enable them to complete college degrees in mining engineering.
"This scholarship will give me the chance to have a good career in a growing industry, and in my home region," said Musarapa Insiang, who grew up in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao.
The financial support is provided through GEM's Investments in Vocational/Elementary/Secondary and Tertiary Studies (INVESTS) project.
Through INVESTS, the GEM Program is helping to provide selected students - all of whom are all from under-represented communities in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao - with the qualifications to secure professional employment in selected rapidly expanding industry subsectors, such as computer-based animation and mining.
The INVESTS mining students are enrolled at the Palawan State University, the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, and the Cebu Institute of Technology, nine of the graduates were among the top 10 performers in the 2008 government licensure examinations for mining engineers, the statement said.
