Some 1,000 victims of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Northern Luzon will be given skills training by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said they would be signing a joint memorandum circular (JMC) with Tesda for the said initiative in quake-hit areas in the Ilocos Region and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
He said at least 40 batches of 25 trainees from the hardest-hit municipalities in Abra, Ilocos Sur, and Benquet stand to benefit from the pilot of the project.
“This will develop their skills and competencies in the areas of carpentry, masonry, electrical wiring and plumbing,” Laguesma said in a news statement issued on Monday.
The beneficiaries will then be tapped in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, shelter, and cultural heritage, which were damaged by the earthquake that hit the province of Abra on July 27, 2022.
Under the JMC, Tesda coordinates with concerned local government units (LGU) to provide the skills training to the beneficiaries, which will be profiled by DOLE.
Tesda has allocated P30 million to provide training scholarships in areas, which were devastated by the earthquake.
For its part, DOLE will provide emergency employment to those, who will complete the training, through its Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Displaced/Disadvantaged workers.
DOLE earlier said it has a P50 million budget to provide aid in quake-hit areas.