By Gideon C. Corgue
SOMINOT, Zamboanga del Sur – Thirty-eight women and out-of-school-youth (OSY) graduated from a two-day food processing training conducted by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) on July 18 and 19.
The graduates received their training certificates from Senior Technical Education Development Specialist Juancho Lazo during the conduct of an information caravan held at the municipal gym here last Thursday.
Merlyn Corsino, one of the graduates, said she was happy that she was given the opportunity by the local government unit (LGU) to avail of the free training.
“Nalipay ko ug dako nga usa sa mga palaran nga mulupyo nga nakapahimulos sa duha ka adlaw nga pagbansaybansay paghimo sa tocino ug longganisa. Makatabang gyud ni sa akong pamuyo ilabi na sa akong pagpa-eswkela sa akong lima ka mga anak,” Corsino said.
(I am very grateful that I am one of lucky residents who availed of the 2-day training in tocino and longganisa making. Indeed, it will help me augment my income and that I could send my children to school.)
“Kung aduna koy igo nga capital maghimo ug mamaligya ko longganisa ug tocino aron akong ipatuman ang akong nakat-onan sa nasangpit nga pagbansaybansay, she added.
(If I have enough capital, I will start making and selling longganisa and tocino so I can apply the knowledge I’ve acquired from the training.)
For his part, Lazo expressed his gratitude to the Mindanao Communicator’s Network (MindaComNet) for including the food processing training in this year’s information caravan in Sominot, a municipality in Zamboanga Peninsula with the second highest poverty incidence.
Lazo lauded the municipality for actively supporting the skills development programs of the agency.
TESDA had also conducted a skills training in said town where it produced 170 graduates.
“The short-term program could provide help to men, women and OSY in uplifting their economic status by utilizing their entrepreneurial skills so that they can start, develop, finance and succeed in their livelihoods,” Lazo concluded.
