TESDA announces programs to boost employability and entrepreneurial skills of Filipinos
In line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s directive to expand the delivery of skills development services to the people, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) announced that it is implementing seven new programs for 2012 to boost the employability, livelihood and entrepreneurial skills of Filipinos.
In a letter for the President dated January 30, TESDA Director General Emmanuel Joel Villanueva said these seven programs form part of TESDA’s new platform of governance dubbed REAL DEAL TESD that aims to “answer the what, where, when, who and how the agency will place itself to benefit the greater part of the community it serves.”
REAL DEAL TESD (Reach the grassroots, Empower the reached. Assure quality training and Lifelong education Development. Enable, and Actively-engage Labor force members in job opportunities thru employability and livelihood skills) encompasses the agency’s desire to marshal the entire resources of TESDA towards a proactive response to the President’s call for “Landas na Matuwid” and do away with a government that is insensitive to the plight of the ordinary citizen.
To achieve this, TESDA will focus its resources on managing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines with stewardship and inclusiveness as its twin underpinning principles.
Of the seven, five are training and retooling programs while the other two are partnerships with government and a private company for the certification of public utility drivers and empowering women retailers, respectively.
These programs include: 1. IT-BPO Talent Investment Program that will train 65,000 scholars to qualify for jobs in the business process outsourcing industry;
2. TESDA-SEIPI (Semi-conductor and Electronics Industry of the Philippines) Partnership for the Semi-Conductor Electronics Industry that will train more than 9,000 new and existing workers to keep them geared up for the demands of the semi-conductor and electronics industry;
3. Partnership with PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.) for the training of 1,300 technicians;
4. TESDA-Holcim Partnership to train some 2,200 out-of-school-youths in construction trades such as masonry, carpentry and blueprint reading certification;
5. Partnership with LTRFB (Land Transportation Regulation and Franchising Bureau) in PUV driver’s certification;
6. TESDA Specialista Technopreneurship Programs that brings together stakeholders to serve the multifarious service requirements of households and small communities; and
7. Updates on TESDA-Coke National Convergence Program on Empowering Women Retailers.
Villanueva said these programs are also in line with the public-private partnership thrust of the Aquino government. (PCOO)
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Aquino government urges educators to continue instilling among the youth the importance of 1987 Constitution
As the country celebrates today the 25th anniversary of the Ratification of the 1987 Constitution, the government of President Benigno S. Aquino III called on educators to live up to their responsibility of educating our youth about the importance and provisions of our basic law.
"This is a time to bear in mind the hopes and aspirations for a just society, as enshrined in our Charter, and which we continue to work towards every day," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
Valte said the Constitution, through the loyalty and devotion of the Filipino people themselves, has overcome every challenge to its basic principles.
"May it continue to serve as the bulwark of our freedoms, and the fullest expression of our democratic ideals," she said.
The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazón C. Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution".
The Philippine constitutional law experts recognise three other previous constitutions as having effectively governed the country — the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution, the 1973 Constitution, and the 1986 Freedom Constitution.
Constitutions for the Philippines were also drafted and adopted during the short-lived governments of Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 and José P. Laurel in 1943.
In 1986, the People Power Revolution ousted Ferdinand Marcos as president. After her inauguration, President Corazón C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3, declaring a national policy to implement the reforms mandated by the people, protecting their basic rights, adopting a provisional constitution, and providing for an orderly translation to a government under a new constitution.
President Aquino later issued Proclamation No. 9, creating a Constitutional Commission to frame a new constitution to replace the 1973 Constitution which took effect during the Marcos martial law regime.
The said commission completed its task on October 12, 1986 and presented the draft constitution to President Aquino on October 15, 1986.
A plebiscite for its ratification was held on February 2, 1987 and more than three-fourths of all votes cast, 76.37% (or 17,059,495 voters) favored ratification as against 22.65% (or 5,058,714 voters) in opposition.
On February 11, 1987, the new constitution was proclaimed ratified and took effect. On that same day, Aquino led government officials and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in pledging allegiance to the new Constitution. (PCOO)
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Palace condemns abduction of two foreign nationals in Tawi-Tawi
Malacanang condemned the kidnapping of two foreign nationals in Tawi-Tawi on Wednesday as it vowed to speed up the resolution of the case and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We condemn the abduction; and the national and local governments, as well as all agencies concerned are working to ensure the resolution of the situation, the recovery and release of the men who remain in the hands of their captors, and the bringing to justice of the lawless elements involved,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement on Thursday.
Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47, and Dutchman Ewold Horn, 52, were kidnapped while on a bird watching trip in Sitio Look-Look, in the village of Parangan in Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi. Their Filipino guide, Ivan Sarenas, escaped from the gunmen.
Valte said the Tawi-Tawi crisis management committee was immediately activated with Gov. Sadikul Sahali in charge of resolving the kidnapping case. Governor Sahali will oversee all of the police and military operations.
“Joint elements of the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Navy, and Philippine Marines are now conducting search operations. For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs has notified the embassies of the nationals concerned, and will keep them abreast of all relevant information and updates on the situation,” Valte said.
Valte likewise advised tourists visiting the country to inquire with the Department of Foreign Affairs or their own embassies, regarding advisories on conditions that may affect their travel plans.
Kidnappings in Mindanao, particularly of foreign nationals have been a major concern of Philippine authorities. Many of these cases were perpetrated by the Mindanao-based Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which was founded in the 1990s. ASG is also being blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the country.
In 2000, the group kidnapped 21 western tourists from a Malaysian island resort and brought them by boat to Jolo. The hostages were released after ransom amounting to millions of dollars was paid.
The Abu Sayyaf also kidnapped three Americans the following year, along with a group of Filipino tourists. During a rescue attempt, one of the Americans was beheaded and another was killed. (PCOO)
.
Malacanang says DOLE orders abolition of bus boundary system to improve income of drivers
Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has ordered the abolition of the bus boundary system for drivers in a bid to improve their income, a Palace official said on Thursday.
Baldoz issued Department Order 118-12 that abolishes the system of paying the bus drivers and the conductors on a commission basis, according to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in a statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
"Instead, the bus drivers and the conductors are to be placed on a “part-fixed and part performance-based wage system,” Valte said.
"The fixed component of their earnings at a minimum shall meet the minimum wage and other statutory wage-related benefits, while an incentive system based on safety performance, business performance and other related parameters is also hereby adopted," Valte stressed.
Valte said the new system took effect in Metro Manila on Wednesday. She added that the new system will take effect in the rest of the country by July 2012.
According to Valte, the Aquino government hopes that the new policy will address the longstanding concern of the bus drivers, conductors, and passengers alike.
"We believe that this system is fairer to the bus drivers because it guarantees them a better wage. It should also improve traffic discipline, which will redound to the benefit of the commuters and motorists," she said. (PCOO)
.
Economic condition improved under Aquino administration, says Palace official
Defending the economic achievements of the Aquino administration, a Palace official said recent surveys indicated positive economic conditions for the country.
“Contrary to claims made by some members of the opposition, economic indicators show improvement in general economic conditions. Self-rated poverty is down; growth has resumed its upward trajectory as shown by the fourth quarter figures which are higher than the second and third quarter figures; unemployment in the fourth quarter was also down; infrastructure spending has been accelerated; and the stock market has once again reached new highs,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement.
“All of these indicate that, while we expect this year to be challenging due to the global economic environment, the business environment is improving, and policies toward promoting equitable growth are taking effect,” she added.
Early this week, Valte said, the Aquino government will exert its best efforts to achieve five to six percent gross domestic product (GDP) target this year based on the instruction of the President.
“We will certainly be exerting our best efforts to meet the target. And, as such, the President has already made several pronouncements on this and we will be following… the concerned agencies will follow suit,” Valte said in a press briefing in Malacanang.
Although the economic growth under the initial year of the Aquino government is a bit lower compared to the previous administration, more Filipinos benefited from the inclusive growth achieved by the present government, Valte said.
Valte reiterated the government‘s thrust of a more aggressive spending this year to boost the country’s economy, particularly in infrastructure development and agriculture.
While there are some criticisms about the lackluster spending of the government that affected the country’s economic growth last year, the administration said external factors have contributed to a slower economic performance. (PCOO)
In line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s directive to expand the delivery of skills development services to the people, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) announced that it is implementing seven new programs for 2012 to boost the employability, livelihood and entrepreneurial skills of Filipinos.
In a letter for the President dated January 30, TESDA Director General Emmanuel Joel Villanueva said these seven programs form part of TESDA’s new platform of governance dubbed REAL DEAL TESD that aims to “answer the what, where, when, who and how the agency will place itself to benefit the greater part of the community it serves.”
REAL DEAL TESD (Reach the grassroots, Empower the reached. Assure quality training and Lifelong education Development. Enable, and Actively-engage Labor force members in job opportunities thru employability and livelihood skills) encompasses the agency’s desire to marshal the entire resources of TESDA towards a proactive response to the President’s call for “Landas na Matuwid” and do away with a government that is insensitive to the plight of the ordinary citizen.
To achieve this, TESDA will focus its resources on managing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines with stewardship and inclusiveness as its twin underpinning principles.
Of the seven, five are training and retooling programs while the other two are partnerships with government and a private company for the certification of public utility drivers and empowering women retailers, respectively.
These programs include: 1. IT-BPO Talent Investment Program that will train 65,000 scholars to qualify for jobs in the business process outsourcing industry;
2. TESDA-SEIPI (Semi-conductor and Electronics Industry of the Philippines) Partnership for the Semi-Conductor Electronics Industry that will train more than 9,000 new and existing workers to keep them geared up for the demands of the semi-conductor and electronics industry;
3. Partnership with PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.) for the training of 1,300 technicians;
4. TESDA-Holcim Partnership to train some 2,200 out-of-school-youths in construction trades such as masonry, carpentry and blueprint reading certification;
5. Partnership with LTRFB (Land Transportation Regulation and Franchising Bureau) in PUV driver’s certification;
6. TESDA Specialista Technopreneurship Programs that brings together stakeholders to serve the multifarious service requirements of households and small communities; and
7. Updates on TESDA-Coke National Convergence Program on Empowering Women Retailers.
Villanueva said these programs are also in line with the public-private partnership thrust of the Aquino government. (PCOO)
.
Aquino government urges educators to continue instilling among the youth the importance of 1987 Constitution
As the country celebrates today the 25th anniversary of the Ratification of the 1987 Constitution, the government of President Benigno S. Aquino III called on educators to live up to their responsibility of educating our youth about the importance and provisions of our basic law.
"This is a time to bear in mind the hopes and aspirations for a just society, as enshrined in our Charter, and which we continue to work towards every day," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
Valte said the Constitution, through the loyalty and devotion of the Filipino people themselves, has overcome every challenge to its basic principles.
"May it continue to serve as the bulwark of our freedoms, and the fullest expression of our democratic ideals," she said.
The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazón C. Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution".
The Philippine constitutional law experts recognise three other previous constitutions as having effectively governed the country — the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution, the 1973 Constitution, and the 1986 Freedom Constitution.
Constitutions for the Philippines were also drafted and adopted during the short-lived governments of Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 and José P. Laurel in 1943.
In 1986, the People Power Revolution ousted Ferdinand Marcos as president. After her inauguration, President Corazón C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3, declaring a national policy to implement the reforms mandated by the people, protecting their basic rights, adopting a provisional constitution, and providing for an orderly translation to a government under a new constitution.
President Aquino later issued Proclamation No. 9, creating a Constitutional Commission to frame a new constitution to replace the 1973 Constitution which took effect during the Marcos martial law regime.
The said commission completed its task on October 12, 1986 and presented the draft constitution to President Aquino on October 15, 1986.
A plebiscite for its ratification was held on February 2, 1987 and more than three-fourths of all votes cast, 76.37% (or 17,059,495 voters) favored ratification as against 22.65% (or 5,058,714 voters) in opposition.
On February 11, 1987, the new constitution was proclaimed ratified and took effect. On that same day, Aquino led government officials and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in pledging allegiance to the new Constitution. (PCOO)
.
Palace condemns abduction of two foreign nationals in Tawi-Tawi
Malacanang condemned the kidnapping of two foreign nationals in Tawi-Tawi on Wednesday as it vowed to speed up the resolution of the case and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We condemn the abduction; and the national and local governments, as well as all agencies concerned are working to ensure the resolution of the situation, the recovery and release of the men who remain in the hands of their captors, and the bringing to justice of the lawless elements involved,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement on Thursday.
Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47, and Dutchman Ewold Horn, 52, were kidnapped while on a bird watching trip in Sitio Look-Look, in the village of Parangan in Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi. Their Filipino guide, Ivan Sarenas, escaped from the gunmen.
Valte said the Tawi-Tawi crisis management committee was immediately activated with Gov. Sadikul Sahali in charge of resolving the kidnapping case. Governor Sahali will oversee all of the police and military operations.
“Joint elements of the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Navy, and Philippine Marines are now conducting search operations. For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs has notified the embassies of the nationals concerned, and will keep them abreast of all relevant information and updates on the situation,” Valte said.
Valte likewise advised tourists visiting the country to inquire with the Department of Foreign Affairs or their own embassies, regarding advisories on conditions that may affect their travel plans.
Kidnappings in Mindanao, particularly of foreign nationals have been a major concern of Philippine authorities. Many of these cases were perpetrated by the Mindanao-based Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which was founded in the 1990s. ASG is also being blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the country.
In 2000, the group kidnapped 21 western tourists from a Malaysian island resort and brought them by boat to Jolo. The hostages were released after ransom amounting to millions of dollars was paid.
The Abu Sayyaf also kidnapped three Americans the following year, along with a group of Filipino tourists. During a rescue attempt, one of the Americans was beheaded and another was killed. (PCOO)
.
Malacanang says DOLE orders abolition of bus boundary system to improve income of drivers
Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has ordered the abolition of the bus boundary system for drivers in a bid to improve their income, a Palace official said on Thursday.
Baldoz issued Department Order 118-12 that abolishes the system of paying the bus drivers and the conductors on a commission basis, according to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in a statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
"Instead, the bus drivers and the conductors are to be placed on a “part-fixed and part performance-based wage system,” Valte said.
"The fixed component of their earnings at a minimum shall meet the minimum wage and other statutory wage-related benefits, while an incentive system based on safety performance, business performance and other related parameters is also hereby adopted," Valte stressed.
Valte said the new system took effect in Metro Manila on Wednesday. She added that the new system will take effect in the rest of the country by July 2012.
According to Valte, the Aquino government hopes that the new policy will address the longstanding concern of the bus drivers, conductors, and passengers alike.
"We believe that this system is fairer to the bus drivers because it guarantees them a better wage. It should also improve traffic discipline, which will redound to the benefit of the commuters and motorists," she said. (PCOO)
.
Economic condition improved under Aquino administration, says Palace official
Defending the economic achievements of the Aquino administration, a Palace official said recent surveys indicated positive economic conditions for the country.
“Contrary to claims made by some members of the opposition, economic indicators show improvement in general economic conditions. Self-rated poverty is down; growth has resumed its upward trajectory as shown by the fourth quarter figures which are higher than the second and third quarter figures; unemployment in the fourth quarter was also down; infrastructure spending has been accelerated; and the stock market has once again reached new highs,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement.
“All of these indicate that, while we expect this year to be challenging due to the global economic environment, the business environment is improving, and policies toward promoting equitable growth are taking effect,” she added.
Early this week, Valte said, the Aquino government will exert its best efforts to achieve five to six percent gross domestic product (GDP) target this year based on the instruction of the President.
“We will certainly be exerting our best efforts to meet the target. And, as such, the President has already made several pronouncements on this and we will be following… the concerned agencies will follow suit,” Valte said in a press briefing in Malacanang.
Although the economic growth under the initial year of the Aquino government is a bit lower compared to the previous administration, more Filipinos benefited from the inclusive growth achieved by the present government, Valte said.
Valte reiterated the government‘s thrust of a more aggressive spending this year to boost the country’s economy, particularly in infrastructure development and agriculture.
While there are some criticisms about the lackluster spending of the government that affected the country’s economic growth last year, the administration said external factors have contributed to a slower economic performance. (PCOO)
