Gwen irked by transfer of exec:TESDA won’t get relocation

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia wants an outright revocation of the deed of donation of the Capitol-owned property currently occupied by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) along Salinas Drive in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

Garcia reconsidered her earlier offer to provide a relocation site and replicate TESDA’s regional facility after TESDA-7 director Gamaliel Vicente Jr. was reassigned to Region 8 without her being consulted.

Sugbo News, Capitol’s news portal, reported that Vicente’s transfer to another region did not sit well with Garcia, who demanded from the national agency a courtesy of a consultation.

Vicente’s exit call last Wednesday, April 19, surprised Garcia, saying that the good relationship between the Capitol and the regional office has since been established, particularly in the implementation of the Sugbo Kahanas program

The governor asserted the importance of having a good working relationship with the national government agencies in Cebu, and TESDA is one of those that have really worked well with the Capitol.

Garcia said Vicente had been very helpful in the implementation of the Sugbo Kahanas program. The provincial government partnered with TESDA in providing qualified Cebuanos with various skills training programs for free. TESDA issues their NCIIs after completing the trainings and passing the assessment.

Since its implementation, the program has helped thousands of Cebuanos by capacitating them with much-needed skills to pursue their own business or get employed here or abroad.

The Capitol asserted its original ownership of the TESDA property, which was donated to the National Manpower and Youth Council on February 16, 1973 by then governor Osmundo Rama.

The Cebu Provincial Board already passed a resolution revoking the donation and authorized the governor to take the necessary steps to recover the property. According to the provincial board, among the conditions in the donation was for the property to be exclusively used for the manpower and training center.

It was provided as condition in the donation that the ownership of the property shall be reverted to the provincial government of Cebu if the donee does not have any more need or use of the land for its specified purpose or the NMYC is abolished or the functions of said office are terminated by law.

The PB cited Section 5 of Republic Act No. 7796 or “An Act Creating the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Providing for its Powers, Structure and for Other Purpose” which practically abolished NMYC considering that TESDA now has replaced and absorbed the former together with the Bureau of Technical  and Vocational Education (BTVE) and the personnel and functions pertaining to technical-vocational education in the regional offices of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) and the apprenticeship of the Bureau of the Local Employment of the Department of Labor and Employment.

“The abolition of the National Manpower and Youth Council is a violation of the second condition of the Deed of Donation,” read the PB resolution.- FPL (FREEMAN)