LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap filed a bill seeking for the establishment of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training and accreditation centers in all of the 13 towns of the province to cascade to the grassroots level the technical-vocational programs of the government.
House Bill (HB) 6851 authored by Congressman Yap stated that the put up of TESDA training and accreditation centers is consistent with the thrust of his mobile ‘tulong’ program which he launched in the province last April to directly deliver the needed service and assistance to the people.
“Our goal here is to bring the technical and vocational training skills development programs closer to the people of Benguet. Once the centers are established, there will be no need to those enrolled in the programs to go extra miles just to attend the desired trainings for them to be productive citizens of their communities,” Congressman Yap stressed.
Instead of spending on rent and transportation, the lawmaker pointed out that residents could re-direct their available budget to other priorities.
Yap underscored that the operation of the TESDA centers will be a great opportunity for those interested to learn new skills that they could earn from while engaging in other lucrative agriculture-related activities in their places.
According to him, learners will be equipped with basic practical knowledge and technical expertise they can use to be self-reliant, productive and employable, especially in the highly competitive world.
“Here in Benguet, we are inherently community-centered. As much as the establishment of TESDA centers provide for self-improvement, it also community involvement. With their enhanced capacities, individuals also build up their communities to be more efficient and progressive,” Yap added.
League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Benguet chapter Secretary-General and Mankayan Mayor Frenzel Ayong lauded the latest bill that was filed by Congressman yap, Saying that the proposed establishment of the TESDA training and accreditation centers will definitely empower individuals in the countryside to acquire the needed skills that will allow them to be multi-skilled and use the same to be entrepreneurs in their own right and contribute in spuring countryside development.
“We deeply appreciate the show of concern being shown by Congressman Yap to the welfare of Benguet residents. It only proves that one has to be a home-grown talent to be able to bring development opportunities to the countryside,” Mayor Ayong stressed.
The LMP official asserted that the people and officialdom of Benguet are really inspired by the sincerity, dedication and passion for public service being shown by Congressman Yap as if he is the duly elected lawmaker of the province that is why the influx of assistance from his office during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) and more to come clearly illustrates that the desire to serve is inherent in him and that he is doing such service without the strings attached.
By Dexter A. See
