Dumingag wins TESDA National Kabalikat Award

Post date: Apr 09, 2014 7:53:32 AM

The municipality of Dumingag in Zamboanga del Sur was recently adjudged as the 2013 National Kabalikat Awardee under the LGU-Municipality Level during the Awarding Ceremony held on August 23, 2013 at the TESDA Women’s Center, TESDA Complex in Taguig, Metro Manila.

The local chief executive of the municipality, Mayor Nacenciano ‘Jun’ Pacalioga, Jr., together with the TESDA IX OIC-Regional Director Dr. Lorenzo G. Macapili, received the award.

The Municipal Government of Dumingag believes that it can transform the community through technical-vocational education and training. The LGU invested a lot in putting up a school that offers short courses in agriculture and health, and another school that offers courses in industrial and service sectors. To make up for the lack of funds in creating these schools, the LGU converted a dilapidated building-turned-stable into an agricultural training school and unutilized spaces under a bleacher into a technical skills training school.

Now called the vocational twins, the DISOA or the Dumingag Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and the DTTS or the Dumingag Dumingag Technological Training School are the means to capacitate the constituents of Dumingag to become functional and productive citizens of society. The DTTS aims to help the youth acquire low-cost but standardized tech-voc education in the field of welding technologies, automotive, electrical installation and management, computer hardware servicing, consumer electronics, refrigeration and air-conditioning. The DISOA provides intensive sustainable organic agriculture training mainly to farmers that they may adopt or sustain their practice on organic agriculture. It already trained all government employees, all barangay officials and all teachers in Dumingag on organic agriculture. It also trained 4Ps beneficiaries that they can utilize well their cash benefits for agricultural production. It also trained the military personnel in the area that they can maximize their time and resources in time of peace. It also trained several youth groups that they may find hope in organic agriculture as the wave of the future.

The LGU also put up a women center for its abaca handicrafts project with 40 women workers. Another satellite work shop with over 10 women was also established to accommodate more orders and give opportunities to more women trained in handicraft, such as: sinaway weaving, abaca scrunch making, romblon bag making, among others.

The Kabalikat Award is one of TESDA’s reward mechanisms in giving due recognition and honor to its outstanding partners in the promotion and enhancement of technical education and skills development (TESD).

The award is conferred to outstanding local government units (LGUs), legislative partners, institutions, and private firms/companies cognizant of their best practices and their contribution to the promotion and development of the country’s middle-level manpower in terms of skills, abilities, proper work attitude and values. (TESDA 9/Jocelyn wee)