NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
‘©fliCP of tik' St” i: iHb vp
23 hay 10 PA :21
SENATE
S. NO. 2175
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by: Senator Raffy T. Tulfo
M Hk ■ m « I ■ 1
MIX MU I
ESTABLISHING A TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 
AUTHORITY (TESDA) TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER IN THE CITY 
OF MAASIN, PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE, TO BE KNOWN AS THE 
MAASIN CITY TESDA TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
According to the 2020 census, the City of Maasin in Southern Leyte has a total 
population of 87,446 people and is home to 20,206 households. Maasin City is the commercial 
and religious center of Southern Leyte and the south-western part of Leyte Island and is 
considered to be the Pilgrimage Hub of the entire Region VIII. Most of the people in Maasin 
City are farmers and fishermen who are noted for their hard work and frugality.
Republic Act No. 7796, or otherwise known as the Technical Education and Skills Development 
Act was signed into law in 1994 with the aim to strengthen the quality of the country's 
technical education and skills development programs in order to achieve world 
class competence of our country's workforce through providing quality technical-educational 
and skills development. In order to enhance the technical capabilities of the people of Maasin 
City, the purpose of this measure is to create a TESDA Training and Assessment Center in the 
City of Maasin, Southern Leyte


In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly
sought.


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. NO. 2175
23 MAY 10 P 4 :21
RECEIVED BV;
Introduced by: Senator Raffy T. Tulfo
m m■ m m ^ w'
MIM MVk I
ESTABLISHING A TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 
AUTHORITY (TESDA) TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER IN THE CITY 
OF MAASIN, PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE, TO BE KNOWN AS THE 
MAASIN CITY TESDA TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress Assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Maasin City TESDA Training
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Sec.2. Establishment - There is hereby established a Technical Education and Skills
4 
Development Authority (TESDA) Training and Assessment Center in a highly accessible area
5 
in the City of Maasin, Province of Southern Leyte, under the supervision of TESDA, to be
6 
known as the Maasin City TESDA Training and Assessment Center hereinafter referred to as
7 
the Center.
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Sec.3. Generai Mandate. - The Center shall primarily provide technical-vocational
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training and skills development programs to students and residents from low-income families
10 
and out-of-school youths, including college dropouts and persons with disabilities (PWDs), in
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Maasin City and the neighboring communities in the Province of Southern Leyte, geared
12 
towards the acquisition of practical livelihood, employable skills, gainful employment, and
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entrepreneurship.
14 
The Center shall help train local residents to become productive, self-reliant and
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globally competitive middle to high-level skilled labor force to hasten the social and economic
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1 
development of these areas, in particular, and to meet the manpower needs of both local and
2 
international labor markets, in general.
3 
The Center shall consider in the design of relevant technical-vocational training
4 
programs to be offered thereat a competency assessment of the socioeconomic profile,
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employment conditions and opportunities, business climate, market and industry potentials,
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resources available and presence of support structures, including the literacy level and skills
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readiness, and the overall development of the host area and adjacent communities within the
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operational radius of the Center established herein. The Center shall also consider the relevant
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skills trade competencies, craftsmanship training programs, and entrepreneurship activities
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needed to deliver the effective employment and development interventions required to make
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these areas as human resource and productivity hubs.
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The Center shall also serve as a TESDA-accredited Assessment Center for acquired
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competencies in technical vocational skills in Maasin City and other municipalities of the
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Province of Southern Leyte.
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Preference in admission, however, shall be given to the most disadvantaged citizens,
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including PWDS, and to the most economically depressed areas of Maasin City, Province of
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Southern Leyte, within the operational radius of the Center.
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The Center shall, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the
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TESDA, render relevant teachers' training assistance and curriculum design to the secondary
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schools offering technical-vocational livelihood (TVL) track under the K-to-12 program of the
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DepEd in Maasin City and the other municipalities in the Province of Southern Leyte.
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Sec.4. Training Programs. - The Center shall offer diverse short-term certificates
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courses and modular trainings in relevant technical-vocational skills and trades specialization
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to comply with employment standards in preferred market-driven labor opportunities, but shall
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likewise give premium efforts to skills specialization for local market employment requirements
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geared towards achieving the development of a robust inclusive economy within the host area
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and each of the adjacent localities and communities within the operational radius of the
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Center, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department
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of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of
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Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic and Development Authority
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(NEDA), business-industry partners, and other relevant agencies, both local and. international.


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The Center may establish, as deemed necessary and practicable, research and
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technology hubs, mobile training programs, and satellite or extension training centers in
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priority areas throughout Maasin City within the service radius of the Center to strengthen
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linkages among the industry, the academe, and the technology programs thereat.
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To address the development and manpower needs of Maasin City and the other
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adjacent localities of the Province of Southern Leyte, the Center shall offer the following
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TESDA-registered technical-vocational training programs with the competencies assessment
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leading to National Certification Levels Mil:
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(a) Skills training in industrial technology and hard trades such as metal and steel works,
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machine fabrication and operation, heavy equipment operation, automotive mechanic,
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refrigeration and air conditioning, electronics, and operation of power tools and equipment for
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both medium skills grade and industrial purposes;
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(b) Agriculture-related trainings and farm skills development in such areas as farming
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technology and farm operations, backyard farming and home-based aquaculture and
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propagation innovations, mechanized farm tools and equipment operations, agribusiness and
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agri-trade technology and innovations, 
and relevant farmers' trainings for increased
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productivity and entrepreneurship;
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(c) Livelihood skills development courses for preferred skills employment and small scale
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entrepreneurship, including practical skills education in crafts and arts, workmanship and
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designing (such as fabric, woodworks, jewelry and metal works) high-speed sewing,
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dressmaking and tailoring, horticulture, livestock raising and breeding, food processing
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technology, home technology, culinary arts and commercial cooking (such as baking), beauty
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culture (including cosmetology and hair and nail styling), and health and wellness training;
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(d) Basic business literacy training in 
financial management and marketing, practical
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accountancy, bookkeeping, and office 
procedures, business processes and application
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procedures including registration, licensing, documentation, business patent and intellectual
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property regulation, business financing and investment opportunities sourcing, import-export
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accreditation, including online home-based business operation and use of social media
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business marketing;


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(e) Technical-vocational occupation and trade skills such as carpentry, masonry, plumbing,
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welding, practical electricity and installation, automotive servicing, electronics servicing,
3 
personal computer (PC) servicing, and such other relevant practical skills courses;
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(f) Computer Literacy and Information Technology (IT)-related skills, digital technology, web
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design, animation, photoshop/online photography, computer design, and advertising;
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(g) Social communication skills development, language proficiency courses in English and
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other language for business process outsourcing (call center) employment and overseas job
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placement;
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(h) Seminars in personality development, career counselling and job placement, work ethic
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and vaiues, and;
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(i) Other preferred priority skilis trades training that may be needed by the people of Maasin
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City and relevant as well to the needs of the areas in the Province of Southern Leyte to
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enhance their capacities for practical livelihood, gainful employment, and entrepreneurship
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skiils.
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Sec.5. Compliance with TESDA Requirements. - The provisions of this Act
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notwithstanding, the Center established herein shali become operationaily effective oniy upon
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the determination and declaration of TESDA, through the issuance of a formal
18 
recommendation and certificate of compliance, that the Center has satisfactorily complied with
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the minimum requirements for quality standards prescribed by the TESDA governing the
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following competency assessment:
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(a) Standard Procedures and Guidelines (SPGs) for the establishment and operation of a
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TESDA Center;
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(b) Operational sustainability of the Center established herein, in terms of licensed faculty-
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trainers and personnel, equipment, training and laboratory facilities, instructional materials,
25 
and other standard requirements as a TESDA Center;
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(c) Sustainable funding source and allocation of budget requirement of the Center hereto
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established;
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(d) Assurance that the training programs offered are fully aligned with the m.inimum standards
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of competency-based quality technical-vocational skills technology and the needs of the host


1 
area and adjacent communities served in the context of the Association of Southeast Asian
2 
Nations (ASEAN) and Phiiippine Qualification Framework (POF) for technical-vocational
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education; and
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(e) Compliance with such other TESDA conditionality and standards in establishing a Center,
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as may be necessary and applicable.
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Sec. 6. Administration. - The Center shall be headed by a Technical-Vocational
7 
Administrator, under the supervision of the TESDA, who shall render full-time services and be
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responsible for the administration and operation of the Center.
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The Technical-Vocational Administrator shall be appointed by the TESDA Director General in
10 
accordance with civil service rules and regulations and the qualification requirements for such
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office.
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The Technical Vocational Administrator shall enter into mutual agreements with locally-based
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private and public counterpart agencies or instrumentalities and persons, subject to approval
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by the TESDA Director General, for such assistance as may be necessary to effectively
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implement this Act.
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Sec.7. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to implement the provisions of this Act,
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and its continued implementation thereafter, shall be included in the annual General
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Appropriations Act.
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The concerned local government units (LGUs), in consultation with TESDA, shall
20 
likewise set aside from any available local revenue an amount deemed appropriate as annual
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counterpart fund to support the operation of the Maasin City TESDA Training and Assessment
22 
Center established herein.
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Sec.8. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. - Within ninety (90) days after the
24 
approval of this Act, the TESDA shall, in coordination with the DOLE, DTI, DOST, NEDA,
25 
Department of Budget and Management (DBM), DILG, the concerned LGUs and such other
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relevant agencies and industry-business partners of the host locality, prepare and issue the
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necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act.


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Sec.9. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared
2 
unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby shall remain
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in force and effect.
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Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order,
5 
letter of instruction, rule or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby
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repealed or modified accordingly.
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Sec. 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
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complete publication in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,