• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is looking at extending skills training programs for internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking temporary shelter at the evacuation centers in La Castellana, and the cities of Bago and La Carlota in Negros Occidental.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting between TESDA Interim Regional Director Nina Connie Dodd and Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday, also attended by Ma. Cristina Orbecido, administrator of the Negros Occidental Language and IT Center (NOLITC), Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Chiqui Gonzales, and Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz.
Lacson expressed support for TESDA’s community-based training initiatives, noting that the programs would be feasible following the skills mapping conducted by the NOLITC and PSWDO, which will serve as a valuable reference for the training programs.
TESDA is a government agency that manages and oversees technical education and skills development.
Former Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez is the TESDA director general.
A total of 1,860 families, composed of 5,860 individuals, have been staying in 15 evacuation centers for more than six weeks already, not including 1,761 families that are staying outside evacuation centers, based on records of the Department of Social Welfare and Development as of January 29.
Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Kanlaon volcano.
On the other hand, the setup of a tent city in Himamaylan is steadily progressing, as 40 out of the planned 395 family tents are already set up, according to the Office of the Civil Defense.
The tents will serve as temporary shelters for evacuees displaced by the Kanlaon eruption and the site is being developed to ensure it meets the basic needs of the families who will be staying there.
Ongoing work includes the installation of plumbing, water, and sanitation facilities to provide safe and hygienic living conditions.
Once completed, the site will be ready to accommodate evacuees, offering them a secure and functional space, the OCD said in a statement.*
