MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA)--The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-Misamis Oriental in partnership with national government agencies (NGAs) under the Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC)-10, assisted 2,143 former rebels (FRs) and indigenous people (IPs) through skills-capacity building training from 2021 to 2022.

"To ensure nga naa'y atong mahimo nga inclusive sustainable peace and livelihood, we need to establish income-making opportunities for them para dili na sila mubalik [sa pagkarebelde], if we are able to address the armed conflict through livelihood para makakaon sila and provide a decent means of living, we can achieve peace," TESDA-MisOr Provincial Director Marigold Cherie Garrido shared during Talakayan sa PIA, January 18.

(To ensure that we can achieve inclusive sustainable peace and livelihood, we need to establish income-making opportunities for them so they will not go back to being rebels, if we are able to address the armed conflict through livelihood so they can eat and provide a decent means of living, we can achieve peace)

By conducting a community-based development approach in bringing developmental interventions and opportunities for livelihood, TESDA-Misamis Oriental has brought various skills development training to 84 PRLEC-identified barangays in the province.

TESDA-MisOr recorded 1,078 FR/IP beneficiaries for 2021 and 1,065 for 2022. As of 2022, 39 skills training programs that vary on the need and the demand of each respective hinterland community have been implemented and are now in the sustaining stage.

The TESDA-MisOr Provincial Chief disclosed that they are also working closely with their partners from their PRLEC partners such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Misamis Oriental and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Misamis Oriental to ensure proper monitoring and aftercare needs are addressed such as tool kits, equipment, entrepreneurial training, and wage employment opportunities are provided to the graduates.

"We need to ensure that there is that sustainability, livelihood, and enterprise that’s going to happen within the community, especially with our indigenous peoples, former rebels, and even the urban poor in the hinterlands," Garrido said. (VPSB/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)