BAGUIO CITY – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is embarking on a two-pronged approach to help the hundreds of thousands of drug surenderees go back to mainstream society and become responsible and productive citizens of the community where they belong.
TESDA Deputy Director-General Diosdado Padilla said regional and provincial offices of the agency have personnel who can assist the drug surenderees in career coaching and their subsequent training and assist them put up their own business and live a normal life in the community where they want to settle down.
However, Padilla revealed drug surenderees must be certified as fit to undergo the appropriate training by the health department before they can avail of the training that will allow them to gain the knowledge and skills they could use to earn a living or establish their own desired business.
“The adoption of TESDA’s two-pronged approach to help drug surenderees live a normal life is our commitment to a multi-sectoral approach to help in the anti-drug campaign of the Duterte administration to significantly reduce illegal drugs use and trade that affect the future of the youth in the different parts of the country. We have personnel in our regional and provincial offices with the appropriate knowledge and skills to guide drug surenderees in the right direction towards changing their ways of living to a better and productive one,” Padilla stressed.
The TESDA official revealed drug surenderees could visit the nearest provincial office in their place and seek for career coaching upon presentation of the certificate of clean bill of health from the health department so that the trained personnel will be able to provide them with the necessary coaching sessions.
According to him, after the drug surrenderees have undergone the appropriate career coaching, TESDA personnel will assess the training needed by each so they can avail of scholarship and eventually get the appropriate training for competency purposes.
For those interested to put up their own respective businesses, Padilla claimed the agency is also willing to extend assistance for the drug surenderees to put up their desired businesses and change their lifestyle from being involved in drugs to responsible and productive citizens of the community.
Padilla assured drug surenderees in the different parts of the country that TESDA personnel are on hand to help them reform and be part of the responsible and productive citizenry of the nation who will be able to help bring the country to greater heights through their own individual and collective efforts.
By Dexter A. See
