The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) is set to train Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) on urban agriculture at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after a partnership was sealed by the agency with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to implement the “Bagong Buhay sa Gulay” project.
“This training will not only teach them about crops planting but they will also be able to help our government’s food security program as they produce their own food,” Tesda Secretary Isidro Lapeña said during the signing on September 15.
Lapeña said that the partnership is part of Tesda’s mandate to provide skills training to PDLs to uplift their economic status and facilitate reintegration to their respective communities.
Under the project, Tesda will conduct training for PDLs who will tend and sustain the vegetable gardens, while DA and DAR will provide quality seeds, planting materials, and other inputs.
Lapeña emphasized that while PDLs are under custody, they should not be deprived of opportunities and should also be entitled to develop their well being by honing their skills and enhancing their potentials.
He assured the beneficiaries that Tesda would fully support them until they are reintegrated back to society.
The MuntiParLasTaPat (Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Taguig, Pateros) District Training and Assessment Center (MDTAC) will be the training provider of the Urban Farming with Agripreneurship Project for the PDLs.
Also, the Regional Training Center-National Capital Region (RTC-NCR) will conduct a training for the BuCor Employees in Agricultural Crops Production NC II for them to be certified trainers in the future.
Present during the memorandum of agreement (MoA) signing were Tesda NCR Regional Director Florencio Sunico Jr., DA Secretary William Dar, DAR Mimaropa Regional Director Marvin Bernal, and BuCor Assistant Secretary Gabriel Chaclag.