Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2137
Introduced by HON. CHRISTOPHERSON “COCO” M. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution mandates the State to promote a just and dynamic social order that 
shall ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation, and free the people from 
poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full 
employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all.  In 
line with this, the government has prioritized inclusive and accessible education and 
technical-vocational training as pathways to national development and social 
mobility. 
The Province of Southern Leyte, particularly its Second District, remains largely 
agricultural and coastal in character, with its municipalities—Hinunangan, Saint 
Bernard, San Juan, Sogod, Bontoc, Libagon, and San Ricardo—still facing structural 
challenges in terms of employment, access to technical training, and economic 
diversification.  Despite the strong potential and raw talent of the local labor force, 
opportunities for formal skills development and TESDA-accredited certification 
remain limited and physically inaccessible to many. 
As it stands, the nearest government-run TESDA Provincial Training Center is 
located in Maasin City, in the First District, requiring long travel hours and additional 
cost burdens for constituents from the Second District. This geographical barrier 
often discourages many out-of-school youth, unemployed adults, and low-income 
families from pursuing technical-vocational training, especially those in remote 
barangays. 
This bill seeks to address that longstanding gap by establishing a TESDA Training 
and Assessment Center in the Municipality of Hinunangan, to be known as the 
Hinunangan TESDA Training and Assessment Center.  Hinunangan is geographically 
strategic—it is the largest and most centrally located municipality in the Second 
District, making it reasonably accessible to all surrounding municipalities. 
The Center shall serve as a dedicated institution for technical-vocational education 
and skills development, offering TESDA-certified courses responsive to local and 
global labor demands. It shall serve as a gateway for residents to acquire National 
Certificates (NCs), enabling them to become job-ready, entrepreneurial, and globally 
competitive. The Center will likewise function as an assessment hub for existing and 
future TESDA qualifications, offering mobility and career recognition to previously 
unaccredited skilled workers. 
July 21, 2025
2:30 pm


The Center’s potential benefits are multi-fold: it will empower communities through 
skills development; support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 
provide employment alternatives to migration; and help local industries thrive with 
a steady pool of qualified and certified workers. It will also allow TESDA, in 
collaboration with DepEd, DOLE, DTI, and other agencies, to implement integrated 
training programs and livelihood interventions directly at the grassroots level. 
Moreover, the measure strengthens the government’s commitment to the Philippine 
Development Plan’s thrusts on human capital development, decent job creation, and 
regional equality. It also aligns with the principles of the “Balik-Probinsya, Bagong 
Pag-asa” Program by encouraging investments in countryside education, training 
and workforce development. 
In sum, the establishment of the Hinunangan TESDA Training and Assessment 
Center is not merely an infrastructure project—it is a long-overdue investment in 
people, equity, and inclusive progress. It is a practical and policy-sound initiative 
that answers both the immediate needs and the long-term aspirations of the people 
of Southern Leyte’s Second District. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
CHRISTOPHERSON “COCO” M. YAP 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2137
Introduced by HON. CHRISTOPHERSON “COCO” M. YAP 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 
AUTHORITY (TESDA) TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER IN THE 
MUNICIPALITY OF HINUNANGAN, PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE, TO BE 
KNOWN AS THE "HINUNANGAN 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. Hinunangan Training and Assessment Center. - There is 
hereby established a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority 
(TESDA) training and assessment center in the Municipality of Hinunangan, 
Province of Southern Leyte, to be known as the "Hinunangan Training and 
Assessment Center," herein referred to as Center under the control and supervision 
of the TESDA. 
SEC. 2. General Mandate. - The Center shall primarily provide technical-
vocational training and skills development programs to students from low-income 
families and out-of-school youths in the Municipality of Hinunangan, as well as the 
entire Province of Southern Leyte. It shall develop the students to become 
productive, self-reliant and globally-competitive skilled labor workers, in order to 
boost the social and economic development of the Municipality of Hinunangan and 
the Province of Southern Leyte, as well as to meet the demand of local and 
international labor markets.  
The Center shall also serve as a TESDA-accredited Assessment Center for 
acquired competencies in TVET programs in the Municipality of Hinunangan and 
the Province of Southern Leyte. The Center shall, in coordination with the 
Department of Education (DepEd), render teachers' capability building programs 
and curriculum design to the secondary schools in the Municipality of Hinunangan 
and the Province of Southern Leyte offering technical-vocational and livelihood 
track under the K to 12 Program of the DepEd.  
SEC. 3. Curricular Offerings. - The Center shall address the skills 
development priorities of the Municipality of Hinunangan and the Province of 


 
Southern Leyte. It shall offer short-term courses in referred market-driven and 
relevant technical-vocational courses within its areas of specialization, in 
consultation with the Department of Labor and Employment, the industries and 
other relevant agencies, both local and international.  
 
The Center may likewise establish research and development centers, 
technology development farms, and mobile training programs throughout the 
Province of Southern Leyte to strengthen linkages between the industry, academe, 
and the technology programs. 
 
SEC. 4.  Site. - The Center shall be established on a site in the Municipality of 
Hinunangan, Province of Southern Leyte, which is highly accessible pursuant to the 
purposes of this Act, and upon the mutual agreement between the TESDA and the 
Local Government of Hinunangan. 
 
SEC. 5. Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern. - The Center shall 
adopt the organizational structure and staffing pattern of a TESDA regional training 
center in accordance with the existing guidelines of the Department of Budget and 
Management and the Civil Service Commission.  
 
The Center shall be headed by a Technical-Vocational Administrator under 
the supervision of the TESDA who shall be appointed by the TESDA Director-General 
in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission and the 
qualification requirements of the TESDA for such office.  
 
The Technical-Vocational Administrator shall render full-time services and 
shall be responsible for the administration and operation of the Center. 
 
SEC. 6. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriation of the 
TESDA. The Director-General of the TESDA shall include in the Authority's program 
the implementation of this Act. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for the 
continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the General 
Appropriations Act.  
 
The Municipality of Hinunangan, in consultation with the TESDA, shall 
likewise set aside from any available local revenue an amount deemed to be 
appropriate as annual counterpart fund to support the operation of the Center. 
 
SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Director General of TESDA shall, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Labor and Employment, Secretary of Trade and Industry, Secretary 
of Science and Technology, the Mayor of Hinunangan, and such other relevant 
government agencies, issue the necessary rules and regulations for the effective 
implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining part or provisions not otherwise affected 
shall remain in force. 


 
 
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, and issuances or 
portions thereof, which are contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this 
Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 10. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,