TESDA reforms hailed

Various testing centers for aspiring overseas performing artists (OPAs) have expressed full support for the administration of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Dante Liban, hailing the reforms in assessment of talents.

In a manifesto, the centers led by the SFN Artist Center, KCEE Production, Marie’s Talent Center, Planet Space, Creative Horizons and Skyihigh Performing Artist’s Center, said they "unanimously commend the performance of director general Liban in improving the setup and process of skills testing.

"He has proven his skeptics wrong in accomplishing what most said was impossible," the manifesto stated.

They all agreed "the operations of OPAs have never been this organized and streamlined in the past.

"His (Liban’s) strict implementation of guidelines and policies to ensure the simple yet systematic process of testing events is truly praiseworthy. More importantly, the total eradication of corruption has allowed the industry to flourish as it should," the manifesto stated.

Testing venue owners said that with the reforms instituted, the reported anomalies of the past have been substantially eradicated such as switching of talents; testing of talents below 18 years old; fixing of results and other anomalous practices surrounding the processing, assessment, and certification of OPAs.

Upon assumption into office on June 21, 2002, Liban introduced many reforms in the assessment of talents aspiring to become OPAs, including immediate action to rationalize the system in the processing of Artist Record Books (ARBs), which resulted to the availability for release of 15,000 ARBs and 35,000 ARBs comprising the TESDA and POEA backlog, respectively.

Liban tapped the services of academe from the University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas and the National Commission for Cultural Arts as well as known personalities in the entertainment industry to professionalize the OPAs.