Zamboanga del Sur – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority – Region IX (TESDA-IX) with Regional Director Dan Navarro together with the Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) of San Miguel, Zamboanga del Sur chaired by San Miguel mayor Angelito Martinez II, other government agencies, and the Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry “Matapat” Battalion (53IB) conducted a Training Induction Program for Masonry NC-I, Carpentry NC-II, Masonry NC-II, and Plant Crops (leading to Agricultural Crops Production NC-II) in Barangay Dumalian, one of San Miguel town’s ELCAC barangays.
TESDA is the chair of Poverty Reduction, Livelihood, and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) of Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC).
Barangay Dumalian, one of PRLEC Target Barangays, is also included in the Barangay Development Program (BDP), the flagship program under the umbrella of ELCAC which was conceptualized to finally address insurgency by bringing sustainable solutions and basic services to communities in need. It was declared “clear” of CPP-NPA influence in September 2019.
(Source: 53rd infantry Battalion, PA, photo courtesy of Army transformation roadmap)