District 5 builds up human infra cluster to sustain industries

Cebu fifth district Representative Ramon “Red” H. Durano VI is starting to strengthen the district’s human-infrastructure pool in order to sustain industries that need additional employees, or provide new investors with employable workforce.

Durano said he recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide ready and easy access of technical education for the young generation.

According to Durano, part of the MOA is to ask TESDA to offer regular or permanent skills training program within the district, in cooperation with his office.

“We have to sustain the good economic development in the district, by providing investors or industries skills that they immediately need,” Durano said.

Priority skills will be welders, caregivers, call center agents, bar tenders, among others.

Cebu fifth district in the northern part composed of towns namely; Aloguinsan, Borbon, Pila, Tudela, Carmen, Liloan, Poro, Sogod, San Francisco, Compostela and Danao City.

Apart from spending on road network infrastructure to further develop tourism, and industrial niche in the northern district, Durano said developing the human-infrastructure is also an equally important priority.

What is important, he said is to provide the district’s residents with employment and that if investors will come, skilled residents will be ready for the most in –demand skills such as welding- for heavy industries.

Each of the eight towns located in the fifth district has their own capability advantage, Durano said.

The district has attractions in heavy industries, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, agro-industrial, among others.

Also, he said residents in the district, especially those that are graduating from high-school, should also be prepared to be employed in the call center companies, some of them may be employed in the urban cities in Cebu, or to the upcoming call center operations that may decide to open somewhere in the fifth district. —Ehda M. Dagooc

Education is one of the main priorities in his term, he said. Thus, aside from signing a MOA with TESDA, he is also implementing electrification program to all public schools in the district.

He said he envisions the district with “empowered people” whose livelihood will no longer largely depend on fishing, and agriculture, but would appreciate entrepreneurship or high-skilled employment capabilities.

While he pushed education and skills training for the young generation residents, simultaneously, he is also encouraging the formation of cooperatives amongst fishermen and farmers.

With this, families will be introduced to good and diverse livelihood opportunities, not limiting themselves to fishing and farming.