August 31, 2022
TALISAY City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas announced Wednesday, August 31, that the City Government is planning to accredit with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) nine courses by October this year and 18 courses by the end of his term.
Talisay City won the 2022 “Tesda Kabalikat Award” for its active involvement in promoting and implementing Tesda’s technical vocational education and training (TVET) programs.
The “Kabalikat Award” gives due recognition to the agency’s outstanding partners in the promotion and enhancement of TVET. It is conferred to outstanding local government units, institutions, private firms and companies, and legislative partners because of their “good practices and contribution in the promotion and development of Filipino skilled workers.”
Gullas, who announced Talisay’s win in a Facebook post on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, said his city is the only LGU in Central Visayas to have won the award.
“I couldn’t contain my happiness as we received the award for National Kabalikat at the Tesda National Office. In the entire Region 7, its truly an honor that kita ra sa LGU Talisay got the Tesda Kabalikat Award,” he said.
He said what they did in Talisay was instead of using the Tesda facility as temporary quarantine facility to accommodate those found positive for coronavirus, they created a new quarantine facility. This allowed Tesda to use its facility for skills training for residents of Talisay.
“This is the importance of having both educational programs and skills training programs in the city,” Gullas said.
He added that residents of Talisay, under the public school system, can avail themselves of free elementary and high school education.
“As they transfer to college, libre sad ni sa Talisay City College. Karon, duol sa 6,000 ka estudyante nag skwela og libre sa Talisay City College,” he said.
But Gullas acknowledged that “government needs to adapt to the changes of times and ang gipangita sa mga businesses karun, and ang gipangita as far as employment karon is a skilled workforce.”
“Mao nani atong gibuhat karun sa City. Hopefully, unsa man atong nasugdan, ato gyud nang ipadayun og mas palapdan pa nato,” he added.
He said that as of August 31, four courses at the Talisay City College have already been accredited by Tesda. These courses are housekeeping, bread and pastry, electrical installation and maintenance, and shielded metal arc welding.
Gullas said their next target, before the end of his first 100 days, is to accredit courses such as slaughtering, bookkeeping, events management, emergency medical services, driving and cookery.
“As we accredit more courses and as TesdaA gives more scholarships to our facility, we hit two birds with one stone. First, maka pa skwela tag mga Talisaynon ug libre. Second, ang atong income from the scholarships na gi bayad sa Tesda, atong e-reinvest og more equipment so we can offer more courses in the future,” said the mayor.
“Plan nato is nine courses by October and 18 courses to be accredited by the end of our term,” he added.
Gullas’s term as mayor of Talisay will end in 2025.
“I hope and pray nga ang atong tinguha para kaninyo Talisaynon, magpadayun ug mapalapdan pa nato. Salamat kaau sa tanan government workers na ni supporta sa atong vision para sa skills training sa Talisay,” he said. (LMY)