Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2377
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative Florida P. Robes

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It cannot be argued that manpower resources play an integral part in the
economic and social prosperity of a country. As human resource is considered as the
country's strong economic foothold, the government must ensure that efficient plans
and programs are properly instituted to develop and utilize the country's manpower.
In fact, it has been stressed in many economic forum that human capital
development is the country's “top strategy for economic growth. That is why there is
a need to empower our people to make them competitive in the international labor
market while ensuring that the labor force is protected from abuses. However, our
country is weak in terms of harnessing the economic potential of our labor force.
According to the 2016 Human Capital Index developed by the World Economic
Forum, the Philippines ranked 4gth out of 130 countries.

If our country would decide to invest on human capital, there must be institutional
mechanisms that will develop and strengthen the labor force. Several studies delving with
manpower development have concluded that quality education and proper training will
open to better employment opportunities, greater earnings, and produce more output
than those who are less educated. With this, our government shall invest on the
development of human labor by equipping them with knowledge and skills that improve
their employability and productive capacities. At present, only private manpower
development agencies are doing this. Sometimes, many of our people who are sent abroad
as skilled workers lack the necessary education as their credentials are fabricated. Due to
this, they are either sent back home or face discrimination and abuse.

This proposed piece of legislation seeks to establish a manpower development
center to be known as San Jose Del Monte Manpower Development Center. Unlike the
training centers operated and accredited by the Technical Education Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), the Center will aim to provide a systematic method of determining the
needs of individuals to ensure continuous practice of promoting personnel progress of


skills and ability through modular trainings which include skills training, personality
development, career counselling, job placements and financial management seminars.
‘TESDA Centers can only offer basic trainings for certification purposes. The vision of the
subject matter of this proposal is beyond basic trainings and certification-it is labor force
empowerment.

Finally, the establishment of this manpower development center is suitable to the
City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan which is a home of thousands of relocatees. The
Center will be instrumental in enhancing and strengthening the residents’ competencies
to meet current and future employments, not just for overseas but also for local
employment.

Considering the rationale stated above, the approval of this Bill is earnestly
sought.

FLORIDA P. ROBES


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 2377

Introduced by Representative Florida P. Robes

AN ACT

ESTABLISHING A TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (TESDA) MANPOWER
DEVELOPMENT TRAINING CENTER IN THE LONE LEGISLATIVE
DISTRICT OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE CITY, PROVINCE OF
BULACAN, TO BE KNOWN AS THE SAN JOSE DEL MONTE 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:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “San Jose Del Monte
City TESDA Training and Assessment Center Act”.

SEC. 2. Establishment. - There is hereby established a Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Training and Assessment Center in a
highly accessible area in San Jose Del Monte City, Province of Bulacan, under the
supervision of the TESDA, to be known as the San Jose Del Monte City TESDA
Training and Assessment Center.

SEC. 3. General Mandate. - The San Jose Del Monte City TESDA Training and
Assessment Center, hereinafter referred to as the Center, shall primarily provide
technical-vocational training and skills development programs to students and
residents from low-income families and out-of-school youths, including college
dropouts and persons with disabilities in San Jose del Monte City and neighboring

communities in the Province of Bulacan, greed towards the acquisition of practical

livelihood, employable skills, gainful employment and entrepreneurship.


The Center shall help train local residents to become productive, self-reliant
and globally competitive middle to high-level skilled labor force to hasten the social
and economic development of these areas, in particular and to meet the manpower
needs both local and international labor markets, in general. The Center shall
consider in the design of relevant technical-vocational training programs to be
offered thereat a competency assessment of the socioeconomic profile, employment
conditions and opportunities, business climate, market industry potentials, resources
available and presence of support structures, including the literacy level and skills
readiness, and the overall development needs of the host area and adjacent
communities within the operational radius of the Center established herein. The
Center shall also consider the relevant skills trade competencies, craftsmanship
training programs, and entrepreneurship activities needed to deliver the effective
employment and development interventions required to make these areas as human
resources and productivity hubs.

The center shall also serve as a TESDA-accredited Assessment Center for
acquired competencies in technical-vocational skills in San Jose Del Monte City and
other municipalities of the Province of Bulacan.

Preference in admission, however, shall be given to the most disadvantaged
citizens, including persons with disabilities, and to the most economically depressed
areas of San Jose Del Monte City, Province of Bulacan, within the operational radius
of the Center.

The Center shall, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd)
and the TESDA, render relevant teachers’ training assistance and curriculum design
to the secondary schools offering technical-vocational livelihood (TVL) track under
the K-to-12 Program of the DepEd in San Jose Del Monte City, and the other
municipalities in the Province of Bulacan.

SEC. 4. Training Programs. - The Center shall offer diverse short-term
certificate courses and modular trainings in relevant technical-vocational skills and
trades specialization to comply with employment standards in preferred market-
driven labor opportunities, but shall likewise give premium efforts to skills
specialization for local market employment requirements geared towards achieving
the development of a robust inclusive economy within the host area and each of the
adjacent localities and communities within the operational radius of the Center, in


consultation with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department
of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST),
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), business-industry partners, and other relevant
agencies, both local and international.

The Center may establish, as deemed necessary and practicable, research and
technology hubs, mobile training programs, and satellite or extension training
centers in priority areas throughout San Jose Del Monte City within the service
radius of the Center to strengthen linkages among the industry, the academe and the
technology programs thereat.

To address the development and manpower needs of San Jose Del Monte City
and the other adjacent localities of the Province of Bulacan, the Center shall offer the
following TESDA-registered technical-vocational training programs with
competencies assessment leading to National Certification Levels I-III:

(a) Skills training in industrial technology and hard trades such as metal and
steel works, machine fabrication and operation, heavy equipment operation,
automotive mechanic, refrigeration and air conditioning, electronics, and operation
of power tools and equipment for both medium skills grade and industrial purposes;

(b) Agriculture-related trainings and farm skills development in such areas as
farming technology and farm operations, backyard farming and home-based
aquaculture and propagation innovations, mechanized farm tools and equipment
operations, agribusiness and agri-trade technology and innovations, and relevant
farmers’ trainings for increased productivity and entrepreneurship;

(©) Livelihood skills development courses for preferred skills employment and
small-scale entrepreneurship (including practical skills education in crafts and arts),
workmanship and designing (such as fabric, woodworks, jewelry and metal works),
high-speed sewing, dressmaking and tailoring, agriculture and farm technology,
horticulture, livestock raising and breeding, food processing technology, home
technology, culinary arts and commercial cooking (such as baking), beauty culture
(including cosmetology and hair and nail styling), and health and wellness training;

(@ Basic business literacy training in financial management and marketing,
practical accountancy, bookkeeping and office procedures, business processes and


application procedures including registration, licensing, documentation, business
patent and intellectual property regulation, business financing and investment
opportunities sourcing, import-export accreditation, including online home-based
business operation and use of social media business marketing;

(e) Technical-vocational occupation and trades skills such as carpentry,
masonry, plumbing, welding, practical electricity and installation, automotive
servicing, electronics servicing, personal computer (PC) servicing, and such other
relevant practical skills courses;

(8) Computer literacy and information technology (IT)-related skills, digital
technology, web design, animation, photoshop/online photography, computer
design, and advertising;

(g) Social communication skills development, language proficiency courses in
English and other language for business process outsourcing (call center)
employment and overseas job placement;

(h) Seminars in personality development, career counselling and job
placement, work ethic and values; and

(i) Other preferred priority skills and trades training that may be needed by
the people of San Jose Del Monte City and other areas in the Province of Bulacan to
enhance their capacities for practical livelihood, gainful employment, and
entrepreneurship skills.

SEC. 5. Compliance with TESDA Requirements. - The provisions of this Act
notwithstanding, the Center established herein shall become operationally effective
only upon the determination and declaration of the TESDA, through the issuance of a
formal recommendation and certificate of compliance, that the Center has
satisfactorily complied with the minimum requirements for quality standards
prescribed by the TESDA governing the following competency assessment:

(a) standard procedures and guidelines (SPGs) for the establishment and
operation of a Center;

(b) operational sustainability of the Center established herein, in terms of
licensed faculty-trainers and personnel, equipment, training and laboratory facilities,
instructional materials, and other standard requirements as a Center;

(©) sustainable funding source and allocation of budget requirement of the


Center hereinestablished; (d) assurance that the training programs offered are fully
aligned with the minimum standards of competency-based quality technical-
vocational skills technology and the needs of the host area and adjacent communities
served in the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and
Philippine Qualification Framework (PQF) for technical-vocational education; and

(©) compliance with such other TESDA conditionalities and standards in
establishing a Center as may be necessary and applicable.

SEC. 6. Administration. - The Center shall be headed by a Technical-
Vocational Administrator, under the supervision of the TESDA, who shall render
full-time services and be responsible for the administration and operation of the
Center.

The Technical-Vocational Administrator shall be appointed by the TESDA
Director General in accordance with civil service rules and regulations and the
qualification requirements for such office.

The Technical Vocational Administrator shall enter into mutual agreements
with locally-based private and public counterpart agencies or instrumentalities and
persons, subject to approval of the TESDA Director General, for such assistance as
may be necessary to effectively implement this Act.

SEC. 7. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to implement the provisions
of this Act, and it’s continued implementation thereafter, shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act.

The concerned local government unit (LGU), in consultation with the TESDA,
shall likewise set aside from any available local revenue an amount deemed
appropriate as annual counterpart fund to support the operation of the San Jose Del
Monte City TESDA Training and Assessment Center established herein.

SEC. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ Within ninety (90) days after
the approval of this Act, the TESDA, in coordination with the DOLE, DTI, DOST,
NEDA, Department of Budget and Management (DBM), DILG, the concerned LGUs
and such other relevant agencies and industry-business partners of the host locality,
shall prepare and issue the necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of
this Act.

SEC. 9. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any provision of this Act shall


be deemed unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof shall
not be affected and shall thereby remain in force and effect.

SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, decrees, instructions,
rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with any provision of this Act are
hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SEC. 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,