Success Stories

TESDA TRAINING SAVED A GANGSTER`S LIFE

Homeless. Hungry. Abused.

A Story of Philanthropy

Masayang Pagbabago

This was how Glenn Danoso described his life for so many years. He had no family, so to seek for acceptance that he could not get from his broken family, he joined a gangster in San Jose, Tacloban City for several years.

Glenn’s life now has totally changed. He is now working in Teleperformance as a Call Center Representative. When I sat down with Glenn in the second week of August in Cebu to see how he was progressing, he was excited to enter his second year of service in the BPO industry. He now earns a monthly five figure salary. He enjoys good food, wears nice clothes, mingles with professionals and goes to work in a gorgeous high-rise office building in Cebu’s prime area. His once sullen, gloomy face is now glowing with a bright, friendly smile. The confident Glenn is now a far cry from the scared and confused grown up boy I trained two years ago.

In August of 2013, Glenn approached Leyte Communications Training Center (LCTC) for a possible training and employment. He could not find a decent job because he only finished high school. Recognizing his potentials and strong desire to improve his life, LCTC took him in the PESFA training in TESDA- Leyte. The trainer was amazed how hungry he was for learning. He would do anything to acquire skills needed for the job. He would not even get absent from the class even if he was sick.

After the short training, LCTC deployed him to its call center partner. He started working by October. A month after, in November of 2013, Yolanda washed out a lot of houses and claimed thousands of lives. Had he been still in the streets, as he used to roam around in the City when he was still jobless, he would have probably died in the storm, too. But because he was working in Teleperformance, he was saved from the deadly storm.

“The training boosts my confidence and enhances my communication skills. Without the training, I would still be trapped in Tacloban and would still be probably stressed and worried due to lack of food and money”, he claims.

Today, Glenn is full of hope and has a promising future. Yet he remains humble and down-to-earth. He said, by next year, he would start to see if he can take few classes in college to improve his “high-school-only status”. But he promised not to let school distract him from work as he intends to continue to be loyal to his job. This job gives him the break he has always dreamed and longed for.

’I want the people of Ormoc to realize that Ormoc City Institute of Technology is not just for me and my family, but for everybody .I want this to go on for years and years and pass the philanthropy to my kin’’. Mr. Mendola said during the interview. Mr. Ruvinieu Mendola is the owner of Ormoc City Institute of Technology (OCIT) , one of the known private technical vocational institution in Ormoc City .Other than being a proprietor himself, Mr. Mendola is into real estate business which to him was more than enough coping with the high standards of living. While he was up, he saw how the young generations crave for education and numbers of unschooled children ,if not into early pregnancy are labor exploited. His life was private ,not until he decided to take the risk. In June 2007 he decided to establish the Ormoc City Institute of Technology with two qualifications in Bartending NC II and Food and Beverages Services NC II for a start spending his savings to an unsure return of investment to which he never regretted. The school was conceived not only to give access to education but laddered towards employment. TESDA has answered the idea that through acquisition of skills would lead a descent job to the graduates. ‘’My sons before TESDA had their own businesses but I asked them to immerse and diverge their interest to technical vocational education and training’’.Mr.Mendola added. Considering that the school caters a very minimal tuition fees , he involved all his children in the school operation, not only to save expenditures for wages but also to ensure that students get the best services.

To date, the school has more than 1,200 graduates and 915 employed. The school is now building a hotel (Cristobal`s Inn) that is soon to operate. Again, not for profit but for the graduates` OJT experience.

To him, TESDA has addressed education issues which were long before unattainable and is grateful for that.

His unsung philanthropic act may not be that extraordinary, but in his ways he has changed the lives of unschooled children through technical educational and skills development. He further concluded that ‘’being an educator is no politics, you have to show equal care for the people`s welfare even if is remains unnoticed.‘’That is why as an educator ,I am committed and passionate about managing the school, the only thing that makes me happy is that when our graduates attain the success in their field of endeavor. I share the quest of Secretary Joel Emmanuel Villanueva on his sound advocacy towards achieving TESDA`s objective . The success of our graduates is a true testament that Sec. Villanueva made a fulfilling job in redefining the lives of Tech-Voc graduates. He is truly a TESDA MAN’’,Mr. Mendola ended.

A father’s sacrifice and hardship are compensated by the smile his child bears on his face. This is what MR. JAYSON TAGANNA believes in.

Jayson’s endurance has been tested several times, first was when his wife decided to leave him. Second, when he lost his home due to typhoon Yolanda. Then, he went jobless.

Trying to make ends meet was getting harder as he tried to apply in different establishments. One thing kept him afloat during those troubled times is the thought of his child. Jayson thought to himself, that if he attended college, it would take him years before he could get a decent paying job. Then he learned from a cousin that TESDA was offering skills training through scholarships at St. Therese Educational Foundation of Tacloban, Inc. Jayson decided to enroll in Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II under the PESFA program in TESDA Leyte PO. Months later ,he was able to get hold of a National Certificate II.

Now, he does not need to worry about having to scavenge for work, as work was already appealing to him. Through the PESFA program in EIM NC II, Jayson is now contracted as an electrician by different construction companies.