983 Zambo City evacuees secure diplomas away from home

MANILA, Philippines - Zamboanga City resident Delia Sariji, a 45-year-old evacuee from Barangay Mariki, spends her time in the evacuation center making novelty crafts such as key chains, coin purse and bracelets.

When the skirmishes between government forces and separatist rebels last September broke out, Sariji could no longer sell fish and shrimps at the public market.

But now Sariji and hundreds of others have an alternative means of income as individuals displaced by the siege last September learned new skills while in evacuation sites.

Joel Villanueva, director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), said that there are so far 983 graduates from the free training provided in the temporary shelters.

Of the 983 trainees, 74 percent were female and 26 percent were male.

"The skills training helped the evacuees cope with the doldrums at the temporary shelter, and equipped them with the necessary skills on the road back to work," Villanueva said in a state news report Friday.

About 110,000 families from eight barangays fled from their homes and abandoned their means of livelihood when 21-day fighting occurred.

Villanueva said that while the effects of the attack may be lasting, developing skills especially of the youth would facilitate the evacuees' return to normalcy.

"The evacuees need to get their energy back and start being productive again, and the training could jump start things for them," he added.

The programs included massage therapy and reflexology, beads making, food processing, mat weaving specifically designed for Badjao women, sewing craft, baking, hand and foot spa, slipper making, hair cutting, and barangay electrician and plumbing.