OCCIDENTAL MINDORO SALT FARMER S/WORKERS TRAINED ALONG BASIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Despite the inclement weather brought about by typhoon Marce and the announcement of Signal No. 2, TESDA-Occ. Mindoro Provincial Office in partnership with the Tamaraw Salt Producers Cooperative, Inc. (TAMACO) jointly implement a  two-day training on Basic Entrepreneurship  for some fifteen (15) salt farmers/workers  on November 24-25, 2016 at the Sikatuna Beach Hotel, San Jose, Occ. Mindoro.  The said cooperative, headed by its President, Mr. Jombet Magsino has sponsored the training program while TESDA Provincial Office facilitated the provision of Trainer in the person of Ms. Riza S. Reyteran, former Administrator of I-Net Asia Technological School, Inc, and a graduate of TESDA-Star Coke Manila-based Training on Entrepreneurship.

The training was conceived out of the need to address the plight of the salt farmers during wet season wherein  salt production is impossible.    Part of the program for the said workers is the provision of seed/start-up capital by the cooperative based on their submitted livelihood/project proposals they themselves conceptualized during their training on Entrepreneurship program.

Salt farming in Occidental Mindoro plays a major role on its economy,  wherein the province supplies roughly 40 percent of the table salts in the country (The Winning Edge/Occ. Mindoro Wilkipedia), mostly coming from the municipalities of San Jose and Magsaysay.  Considering the significance and contribution on the province’s economy, TESDA-PO explored also other areas of partnership i.e  trainings on the pipeline for 2017 which include:  1.  preparation of training modules for the repair and maintenance of specialized machines used in  salt-farming b2)  training on the operation and maintenance of the specialized machines for salt workers/famers and other interested workers.  There is an apparent need for a training on the maintenance of said highly specialized machines, salt washing and drying machines type which were acquired by the cooperative through foreign grant.

Likewise, the training participants were also informed of other programs and services of TESDA particularly the Training for Work Scholarship and the Barangay Kabuhayan Para sa Kasanayan and Kapayaan (BKKK) Program, and signified also their support  through info-dissemination in their respective barangays.

                        Newly installed Information Officer, Ms. Baby Ruth S. Hablo, Administrative Officer V of TESDA-Occ. Mindoro Provincial Office got her first assignment to be interviewed by Bambi FM 97.7  radio hosts namely Mr. Ramon Pacquing Jr and Ms. Kitty re: TESDA’s programs and services.  Topics discussed range from the role of TESDA in nation building and its mandate, programs and services  offered.  More queries focused on TVET scholarships particularly the Training for Work Scholarship (TWSP) and Barangay Kasanayan Para sa Kabuhayan and Kapayapaan (BKKK Program).  Bambi FM had expressed its appreciation for TESDA for granting their request for an interview and TESDA likewise reciprocated for the time slot given to advocate its programs to radio listeners  to be able to reach out and widen its horizon on bringing TVET good news in the communities.

Photo below:  Ms. Baby Ruth Hablo with Radio FM Manager and host.  From left to right:  Bambi FM Manager, Mr. Sherwin Marasigan,  Ms. Baby Ruth S. Hablo-TESDA AO V/Information Officer, and Mr. Ramon Pacquing, Jr.  It is also noteworthy to mention that Mr. Marasigan himself is a Tech-voc Graduate, having completed the General Radio Communications Operator (GRCO)  at Mindoro School of Technology and a bonafide PESFA scholar of TESDA-Occ. Mindoro in CY 2001.  

                  Handicraft Making on Recycled Materials sponsored by Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Region IV-B on October 8-10, 2016 at the Aroma Center. San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.  It was attended by Out-of-School Youths in different  Barangays of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro with Ms. Bebina Labalan as Trainer.

     Inspirational Talk by TESDA-PO represented by Ms. Baby Ruth S. Hablo, Admin Officer V

Participation to Launching and Strategic Planning of Comprehensive Intervention Against Gender-Based Violence conducted by DSWD Region-IV on November 8-10, 2016 at Aroma Center. San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

(Attended by TESDA Admin. Officer V Ms. Baby Ruth S. Hablo, MSWD Officer, PSWD Officer, Municipal Health Officer, Municipal Budget Officer, PNP, DepEd, Municipal Planning Officer and other representatives from government and non-government organizations)

In its desire to ensure smooth implementation of the 2016 BUB Program, the TESDA Provincial Office called for a One Day Workshop/Learning Session on January 13, 2016 relative to the  preparatory, pre-training, training proper and post-training activities to be undertaken by TESDA partners and proponents of the BUB 2016 projects.  OIC-PD Ma. Belen F. Pantaleon stressed on the necessity of having complete and timely submission of documents ranging from MOA, project proposal, project brief templates, Qualification Map  which would be crafted by the BUB Focal in close coordination with their respective Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT).

          BUB Focals/LPRAT representatives from the municipalities of Sablayan, San Jose, Paluan attended the One-Day Orientation/Learning Session conducted by PO Occidental Mindoro.