• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The establishment of a satellite office of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Negros Occidental under the Negros Island Region set up would depend on the NIR’s Technical Working Group (TWG), TESDA director-general Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez said Aug. 26.
Benitez, the 3rd District representative of Negros Occidental who was appointed chief of TESDA by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Aug. 16, said that offices and agencies under the NIR Human Development Cluster, including TESDA, will be established in Negros Oriental, most probably in Dumaguete City.
“In accordance with the agreed upon implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the NIR law, the TWG will have to designate satellite offices for accessibility and convenience (so) chances are, there will be a TESDA satellite office in Negros Occidental,” he explained.
But it is up to the TWG to negotiate with each national government agency on where the satellite office would be established, depending on the availability of land, building, and so on, Benitez said.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez earlier said he would request his brother if a TESDA office could also be established in the highly-urbanized city, although he clarified that Bacolod will conform with the general vision of TESDA.
The agency’s Regional Training Center is in neighboring Talisay City.
“It remains to be seen if there should be a satellite office in Bacolod or a TESDA-type of office that is in a relationship with state universities and colleges, or local colleges and universities, like the Bacolod City College,” the younger Benitez said at the press conference this morning, Aug. 26.
He said that one mandate of the agency is to create a kind of community college that is linked to LCUs or SUCs in the implementation of its plans and programs.
Benitez also earlier said that his marching orders from Marcos includes “improving the economic growth through proper workforce development in alignment with the labor market intelligence of the Department of Labor and Employment; partnership with the Department of Education to ensure that our senior high school graduates are work-ready; and digital transformation and green economy”. | CGC
