Re-elected Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte will be pushing for the establishment of a district office of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Davao City when the 20th Congress commence on June 30, 2025.
The lawmaker emphasized the significance that the bill be enacted in the new Congress, especially since many of the Dabawenyos are seeking affordable Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) so that they can have appropriate skills they can use when applying for jobs or starting small businesses.
The TVET programs provide courses and training related to employment, aiming to prepare individuals for the workforce and equip them with practical skills.
Currently, only the TESDA Provincial Office in Digos City is the closest TESDA office to Davao City.
“Mahigit 50 kilometro ang layo ng Digos mula sa Davao City o aabutin ng mahigit isang oras na biyahe. Aabot ng P100 o mahigit pa ang pamasahe sa bus mula Davao hanggang Digos. Bukod sa napakalayo ng Digos, hindi na kaya ng TESDA Provincial Office doon ang lumalaking populasyon ng Davao City para mapagsilbihan ang mga residente nitong nagnanais na mag-aral ng technical-vocational courses,” Duterte stated.
According to the lawmaker, Davao City alone has 182 barangays and a population of 1.78 million people, and 60% of the population that the TESDA office in Digos City is supposedly serving Davao City.
Duterte added that, although there are 113 private technical-vocational institutions in Davao City, there are only three public TESDA training institutions.
“Mas maigi kung ang TVET courses ay mas mailalapit sa mga Dabawenyo kung makakapagpatayo ng district office sa Davao City. Mas maraming makikinabang at mas marami ang mabibigyan ng pagkakataon tungo sa magandang kinabukasan,” he said.
Duterte said that in the past years, his congressional office has always coordinated with TESDA to provide free TVET to Dabawenyos.
