Dear Dennis/Chiqui, 

As promised, Mr. Cornelio (Roger) Casido issued a check for 150,000 in fulfillment of his faculty chair pledge for school year 2008-2009. This is his second year commitment. I deposited the check today to SMSSI's PNB savings account in Bontoc. Please issue a receipt to Mr. Casido as soon as the check is cleared.

Have a good day.

Rufino

Dear Lambert, 

I can not help but share with everybody another piece of good news. My friend, Mr. Cornelio Casido, the President and owner of a chromite mine in Homonhon Island and currently Chairman of the Philippine Board of Examiners for Mining Engineers (of which I am a member), has also agreed to sponsor an SMS faculty for the next three years. He had humble beginnings like me, his father worked in Lepanto, and he was able to finish mining engineering due to a Lepanto scholarship. Through hard work and education, he rose up the corporate ladder and ultimately took over an old chromite mine abandoned by a German company, which he now operates profitably and where he employs several Igorots (including two mining engineers from Mainit, Bontoc). He is from Pangasinan, a Roman Catholic like Dennis Faustino, but he shares our vision to promote quality education for our people. 

With Mr. Casido and those I have mentioned in earlier emails (i.e. Mr. Rick Crabb, Otto Energy, Middle East Petroleum through Mr. Fellowes, PETI Trading, and Dan Chalmers of Brent School who is President of a GN Power), we now have five non-alumni supporters of SMS from the Philippine energy and mining sectors. Except for PETI Trading, which has made a commitment on a year-to-year basis, the four are committed to support SMS for the next three school years.  

As you have correctly pointed out, I hope that this development will inspire current supporters of SMS to remain steadfast in their commitment and convince other alumni and friends to join us in this great and noble undertaking. 

On the November 6 SMSS Golf Tournament, I expect a net revenue of at least 450,000 pesos (10,000 US dollars). As of today, I have already remitted 330,000 pesos to SMSSI, I have two checks worth 35000 pesos which I will remit tomorrow, or early next week and  am expecting collectibles of about 100,000 pesos.  

Long live SMS.