MANILA, Philippines - The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) on a project that aims to strengthen the livelihood of people from Bayanijuan (BNJ) communities in Laguna, Zambales and Palawan.
Under the terms of the agreement signed last July 5, TESDA will provide P3.1 million to AFI’s Bayanijuan program to cover the education and skills development training requirements of the residents of Bayanijuan communities.
“We in TESDA would like to be a more relevant agency and more sensible to the needs of our (Filipino) people and we can only do that if we are accessible through forging partnerships like this,” said TESDA director general Joel Villanueva.
The TESDA-AFI partnership will not only grant training to the residents of Bayanijuan but will also help the graduates land a job whether it will be self-employed or wage-employed.
“I’m looking with great excitement to this partnership we have with TESDA. I commit to TESDA that we will leave no stones unturned and make sure that we make an amazing difference in the lives of every Filipino that we help,” said Gina Lopez, AFI managing director.
Also present during the MOA signing were Girlie Aragon, BNJ program director; Maria Susan de la Rama, TESDA executive director; Dave Pardo, Bantay Kalikasan program director; and Beth de Castro, Iba operations manager.
Residents of Bayanijuan communities include former informal settlers living along Pasig River and creeks.