PMTC OIC Francis Maslog orients the trainees under the Community-Based Beauty Care Program in Masantol.
Aside from the lady governor’s unrivalled services in health, she pushed for the provision of capability-building and skills enhancement trainings throughout the province thereby presenting employment or entrepreneurial opportunities for the under-privileged.
The Provincial Manpower Training Center (PMTC), headed by Francis Maslog, conducted various trainings, from in-house courses offered at the Provincial Engineers Office Compound in Sindalan to community-based trainings brought by this office to different municipalities.
PMTC’s in-house trainings include Computer Hardware Servicing which currently produced 345 graduates; Consumer Electronics with 209 graduates; Computer Literacy with 230 graduates; Shielded Metal Arc Welding with 238 graduates; and, Automotive Servicing Technology with 374 graduates.
The 1,396 graduates of in-house trainings were even awarded with certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) providing broader chances for employment here and abroad.
Meanwhile under community-based trainings, 85 individuals from Mexico, Guagua and Candaba studied Electrical Installation and Maintenance. The scholars also received Electrician Training NC-2 certificates from TESDA.
The provincial government also partnered with the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines-Pampanga Chapter (CFIP-Pampanga), through its 2012 Vice President and Board Member-Elect Anthony Joseph “Tonton” Torres, benefitting 28 Kapampangans with Furniture Upholstery Training.
A total of 29 kabalens from Lubao were also educated on Heavy Equipment Operation, in cooperation with the municipal government headed by Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab.
The Capitol also opened doors of opportunities for the out-of-school youths from the coastal villages in Masantol through Hairdressing and Beauty Care Seminars participated by 25 individuals per program.
Governor Pineda also spearheaded programs empowering the women from Aeta communities in Floridablanca, Porac and Mabalacat. The lady governor led the creation of the Nabuclod Express Massage Livelihood Association in Floridablanca with initial 19 members, all of whom gained knowledge on Wellness Massage or Hilot serving as a second or primary source of income for said Aeta families.
Still, Nanay Gov remained unsatisfied and yearned for more livelihood opportunities for the women of the upland villages. Thus, she forged a partnership with Senator-Elect Cynthia Villar, a lady legislator and Managing Director of Villar Foundation, known for its successful livelihood programs targeting families at the grassroots level.
The partnership paved way for the Handloom Weaving Training of 45 Aeta women from Floridablanca, Porac, Mabalacat. Villar Foundation also sponsored six handloom weaving machines worth P450,000 used by the trainees.
Further, 155 members of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) from towns of Lubao, Guagua, Floridablanca, Sta. Rita, and Masantol were instructed on Motorcycle/Small Engine Servicing thus giving the participants an additional source of funds as well as reducing their expenses in repairs for their vehicles.
Other community-based trainings like Plumbing produced 27 graduates and Korean Language Proficiency Training with 25 graduates were also conducted over the last 35 months of Nanay Gov’s administration.
In total, 1,859 individuals have benefitted in skills training alone during Governor Pineda’s first term. Out of this number, 1,026 individuals are already employed or have put up their own businesses utilizing the skills they acquired from abovementioned courses and 273 are currently completing their practicum.
And as Governor Pineda is chosen once again as head of the province for another three years, together with her son Vice Governor-Elect Dennis “Delta” Pineda, the Kapampangans are expecting greater and better programs from their administration.
Surely, the mother-and-son tandem will not disappoint and create more opportunities for their fellow Kabalens. ●Text and photos by Angelique DC. Tuazon
