TESDA Women’s Center

As we celebrated the First TESDA GAD (Gender and Development) awards, we are reminded of two women who, back in the day, were already advocating for women empowerment and working for gender equality – Helena Z. Benitez and Leticia Ramos-Shanani. We honored both at the modest celebration to refresh our memory that even in the decades closer to the 50s, the advocacy to give women skills via the establishment of the National Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC) was already in their consciousness.

Helena took inspiration from her mother, Francisca Tirona-Benitez, who established the Philippine Women’s University to give women “useful education” such as Home Economics and other courses which usually were focused only on men. Today, we have pushed the envelope further by offering what is called “non-traditional trades” (NTT) like plumbing and automotive repair, now offered at the TESDA Women’s Center (TWC). Gone are the days of women focusing on beauty science and hair culture.

As a senator, Benitez authored the bill for NMYC which merged with the Bureau of Technical and Vocational Education and the apprenticeship program of the Bureau of Local Employment into TESDA in 1994 to focus on technical and vocational trades or TVET. TESDA is the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, headquartered in Taguig City but with offices across the country.

Leticia Ramos-Shahani, on the other hand, traveled the world and met diplomats which gave her access to government officials that would agree to compensate us for the abuses our women suffered during the war. One of them is Japan, who agreed to build a structure which is now the TESDA Women’s Center, a complete training center dedicated to empowering women in NTT as well as current demands of industry.

The TWC started in 1996 as the National Vocational Training and Development Center for Women. The Japanese provided a $23.82-million grant through the Japan International Cooperation Agency for its construction. It was inaugurated in 1998 offering pre-employment training in non-traditional trades.

The following year, the Center Advisory Council was established with Shahani as its chairperson. In 2018, the council was revived and we are glad to be serving as council members from various sectors like the academe, labor, private sector, NGOs and representatives of Philippine Commission on Women as well as gender focal point persons of national government agencies.

We were privileged to meet Lila Ramos Shahani, senator Leticia’s daughter, who accepted the honor for her mother. Lila told us the “back story” of how back channeling resulted in what we got as compensation from the Japanese government, through the heroic efforts of her mother. Officially, it just states that Shahani met with the Japanese Diet and did an “exchange of papers.” This meeting led to the creation of the TWC.

The TESDA, through the GAD Focal Point System executive committee chaired by deputy director general for policies and planning Rosanna Urdaneta, together with its technical working group and TWC as the secretariat, established the first GAD TVET awards this year to honor all those who have helped in implementing the programs in the TVET community itself. Over 35 awards were given to past directors general, deputy directors general, executive directors, regional directors and employees, sponsor companies and other government agencies which provided support in the implementation of gender responsive programs and activities of TESDA.

The night would not be complete if we did not honor the GAD champion of the season – Kiko B. Benitez, secretary of TESDA, was pleasantly surprised as I handed him his trophy. The TESDA chief has been promoting the center, including being game to do a video with me for the End VAWC (violence against women and children) campaign last year. He has attended some of our meetings as the TWC Advisory Council and listened to our suggestions to collaborate with other agencies like Dept. of Education and Dept of Tourism for new jobs open to women.

But the TWC only runs well because of other industry partners who give their equipment and expertise so our girls (and now boys, too) can learn on real state-of-the-art machines like car engines, appliances and even a complete cocktail bar set up for those wishing to work in the food and beverage sector.

The TWC is open to everyone wishing to upskill themselves in barista or food and beverage trades but also automotive, construction and ICT related programs. When I see women engineers and team leaders in factories, I am reminded that NTTs are now becoming more common, in fact now becoming traditional.

The attendees were also treated to a performance by the Bayanihan Dance Company, the international dance company which was started by Helena Benitez in 1956 and declared as the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines through Republic Act 8626. I remember watching their performances in PWU every Saturday afternoon (in the 1970s) to the delight of many tourists and visitors. We high school students had ringside seats to these weekly events.

The memories of gender champions Helena Benitez and Leticia Ramos-Shahani were relived as we paid tribute to their legacy – the Women’s Center and NMYC which became today’s TESDA. What an honor to be continuing the work of these women, especially in our role as advisory council members of the TESDA Women’s Center.