MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)–The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government is determined to nurture its entire populace as they are all inclined towards achieving development in their place.
Not intending to leave former rebels behind, the region’s administration through its Ministry of Basic Higher and Technical Education – Technical Education and Skills Development (MBHTE-TESD) continues to live out the program dubbed ‘Abot Lahat’, covering even the returnees in Lanao del Sur province and presenting the Agriculture Crops Production Training (ACPT) that can be of advantage to them while they shift back to the care of the government.
MBHTE-TESD Lanao del Sur Provincial Office Planning and Administrative Officer Esmael Capampangan shared that this is also under the initiated Project Tulong ng Gobyernong Nagmamalasakit (TuGoN) of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG).
“Nagkaroon kami ng prioritization at isa sa mga napili natin na iprioritize ay mabigyan ng proyekto ang mga kapatid natin na nagsurrender. Isa sa mga role ng TESD sa programang ito ay paano sila mabigyan ng scholarship at training na convenient sila,” he said.
[We had a prioritization and one of what we chose to prioritize is to give a project for our brothers who surrendered. One of the programs of the TESD here is how to give them a scholarship and training in which they can be convenient.]
Capampangan said that at the moment, 56 former combatants were already registered and bound to be trained by two of their training centers, namely the Sinab Cabugatan Multi Skills and Training Center, and Ramain Skills Institute of Technology, Inc.
He explained that they settled with providing agriculture-related skills training as this is in line with the food security priority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and taking into account the vast land area in the province that is fertile enough to grow some crops.
Capampangan further stated that the intended beneficiaries would have community-based training which is a special matter since this is not open to all the courses of their office.
He detailed that in this kind of offer, trainees can undergo their training in their respective municipalities where they belong.
Magnifying the importance of their role in the normalization of the lives of the returnees, Capampangan guaranteed that their office is doing its best to carry on their mandate of giving opportunities by providing skills training, including to special clients where the former rebels are classified.
“Ang TESD ay talagang seryoso na lahat ng mga kababayan natin ay umangat ang kanilang buhay. We need to open the doors for them para alam nila na ang pagsurrender nila ay isang step na makakatulong na maopen sa kanila ang magandang bukas para sa kanila at pamilya nila,” he said.
Apart from the ACPT, the MBHTE-TESD stated that they can extend other courses as well, depending on the request and proposal of MILG. (CRG/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)
