Matching skills with the available jobs

Because most media reports trailed Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) during her visit to Cebu the other day, I was the only media to attend the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Aboitiz Construction Group, Inc.-Metaphil Division and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to establish the Metaphil-TESDA Institute for Technical Training. (MTiTT). It was a coincidence that the dinner for newly-ordained Archbishop Francisco "Pangkoy" Montecillo Padilla after his ordination ceremonies was held at the Casino Español and so too with the signing of the MOA… what a great convenience!

Let me say that the creation of this newly formed institute is quite timely because if we are to follow the path of the Asian Tigers and become at least a Tiger cub, our educational system shouldn't only produce white-collar graduates, but allow those who cannot afford a college education, acquire the skills needed for the many other jobs available in this country today.

A case in point is the Tsuneishi Shipyard in Balamban, which need welders, metal workers and engineers with special skills in computer aided steel cutting. Mind you, the rest of the world is also on the lookout for these types of skilled workers and I learned from TESDA Regional Director Ernesto Beltran that this partnership with TESDA and Metaphil is a first of its kind.

A few months ago, the Arroyo administration was elated by the news that a big Korean shipbuilder was going to operate a shipbuilding plant in Subic. But how could we even think of becoming a major player in the shipbuilding industry when we cannot supply these investors with workers for their factories? This is the same problem with call centers today, where these companies are having a hard time finding good English speakers to work in their companies.

At least, with this MOA signed last Tuesday by Director Beltran and Metaphil President and COO Napoleon R. Pe, those people who want to learn special skills with the assurance of getting good paying jobs can line up in TESDA or in Metaphil to apply there. Once more I salute the Aboitiz Group of Companies for being able to peer into the future of what Cebu or our country needs in order to match jobs with the skills available around. This is the concept of their motto, Passion for Better Ways, which according to Engr. Nap Pe means, a passion to train better workers and in doing so, we also create a better nation.

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Finally, one issue that journalists brought before the Arroyo government in the light of the continued killings of their colleagues is to allow them to carry firearms. This should be great news to our fellow journalists who can find comfort in carrying a firearm for their protection. The question of course is, will this be the end to threats against journalists? I doubt it. If people are determined to kill you, even if you hid inside an M-1A1 Abrams Tank, they'd still get you dead and buried!

With this news, I'm now curious as to the requirements or the bureaucracy that journalists have to pass through in order to get their permit to carry. I'm one of the original members and an honorary member of the Cebu Pistol and Rifle Association (CPRA) and I know how difficult it is for those who want to follow the law to get a permit to carry. Perhaps what the Philippine National Police (PNP) ought to do is, publish the steps in getting a permit to carry so we'll know if it's worth the hassle.

For years, I, too, carried my piece for my protection but then that's a lot of hassle, plus it's a bit bulky. Today, I only carry a rosary, which guarantees you protection under the mantle of our Blessed Virgin Mother. That's the best protection anyone can ever get!

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Last Tuesday's solemn ceremonies to install the Most Reverend Monsignor Francisco "Pangkoy" Padilla as Papal Nuncio of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands was a rare occasion as he is the second Cebuano to become a member of the Diplomatic Corps of the Holy See. Yes, they are the equivalent of Vatican's Ambassadors; after all, the Catholic Church is not just a church, it is the smallest government with the Vatican as its capital.

What's remarkable here is that Arch. Padilla follows the footsteps of his brother, Arch. Osbaldo Padilla, the Papal Nuncio to Costa Rica, the 1st Cebuano to get this post. In short, it all comes from the Padilla Family. What I saw in last Tuesday's ceremonies was a vibrant Catholic Church, alive and well after the dark cloud of the controversy of the Da Vinci Code. Good always wins!

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