BCPD Graduates its First Batch of Badjao Women Scholars

Cebu City --- The Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD), a technical-vocational school for girls  committed to helping the poor in the region through free education, recently graduated a unique group of students, the Badjao tribe, one of our country's indigenous peoples (IP), whose culture and livelihood are tied to the sea. This highlights BCPD's commitment to serve women from all walks of life.

Through the training provided by AusAid Reledev Australia, twenty-five (25) Badjao women, mostly married, came in their colorful traditional garb to attend their simple yet special graduation ceremony held inside BCPD's building in the afternoon of January 11, 2023, Wednesday. Gracing the event were the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary led by Sr. Victoria Embata, the director of the Badjao Integrated Development Progam, Ms. Edwina Martel Quialquial, their program coordinator, and Ms. Angelina Paghubasan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VII. BCPD's IP graduates are program beneficiaries of the Presentation Sisters who help the Badjao get educational scholarships such as the one they received from BCPD.

The Badjao graduates' training in Baking and Bread and Pastry Production ran from September 20 to December 3, 2022. Their skills assessment was scheduled in two batches, i.e., December 11 and 18, 2022,  which they all passed satisfactorily. 

Aida, one of the Badjao women-graduates, recounted in her gratitude speech that she never thought they will still be given the opportunity to study again. She said that after high school and after getting married, she thought her life would only revolve around raising children and taking care of her family. But, thanks to schools like BCPD, they were led to see that they can still do more, happily discovering that there's still so much potential in them. Aida acknowledged the Nano Nagle Child Care and Learning Center, Inc. based in Ireland, and the AusAid Reledev Australia for their generous and invaluable support.

The highlight of the graduation was the cultural dance performance of the graduates as a testimony of their joy and gratitude to the school and to all their benefactors. Wearing their beautiful and colorful clothes, often made by hand from the traditional dastar fabric, the graduates delighted everyone with their gracious movements, as they encouraged the management and school staff to dance with them. This first batch of Badjao graduates will be helped by Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. to set up their own bakery located in Mambaling, Cebu City.

BCPD, a project of the Foundation for Professional Training, Inc. (FPTI), is set to accept its second batch of Badjao women scholars this school year 2023-2024. BCPD is a social project for underprivileged women inspired by the pastoral visit of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo to Cebu City in January 1987. Blessed Alvaro was the first successor of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. 

The 1st National Quality TVET Forum in Cebu City

With Ma'am Paulette and Sir Steve

The JCentre Convention Hall in Mandaue City, Cebu was jampacked with local and foreign delegates who participated in TESDA Region VII's 1st National Quality TVET Forum last September 9, 2015, Wednesday, an activity which ran from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. There were more than 500 people who filled the hall: technical-vocational program professionals, practitioners from the academe and students from several universities and colleges here in Cebu. There were special guest participants from Southeast Asia, from countries like Malaysia, India, and China, who shared with us their best practices in advancing tech-voc education through accreditation. TESDA Director General Sec. Joel J. Villanueva also graced the whole day event.

PSEFI-SKILLS was privileged to have an information booth which showcased the different training programs the school is offering. Several delegates and representatives of other educational foundations graced our table to inquire about how they can partner with us and how we can widen our reach to help more out-of-school youth and adults and less privileged women not just here in Cebu but all over the Philippines. I am grateful to attend this forum together with Ma’am Paulette D. Liu, our COO, Dr. Maritess H. Requina, our Executive Director, Dr. Bryant C. Acar, our Academic Director, Engr. Steve Y. Banzon, our Technical Training Director and Ms. Rhea Cedeño, our school Registrar.

It was good to be introduced to the rigor of having one’s foundation be accredited and recognized by professional institutions in the country. Striving for excellence has been stressed in this forum. It is no wonder that establishments espousing any advocacy which have committed themselves to quality performance in all their training programs will be recognized highly in the long run. We hope that this forum drove home the point that everyone i.e. all major stakeholders in the academe and in business, has a hand in making sure that complying with accreditation requirements is done conscientiously. It is worthwhile to go through difficulties for the sake of advancing all our educational programs.

With all the best practices we have heard, it is now a challenge for us to apply all the lessons learned in this forum. As our Malaysian speaker said, we must not get tired of always asking deeply about the what, why and how of things as we engage ourselves in our respective advocacies. 

Local and Overseas Job Fair 2015: A Job Bridging Activity in Cebu

Sir Bryant giving the Welcome Remarks for the Job Fair

While studying the causes of poverty in the Philippines in the light of Development Communication, one of the principal factors that contribute to its being deep-seated in our culture is unemployment. There are no work opportunities being given to our countrymen that match the skills they have acquired with their educational attainment. It is something that major industries have been trying to address for more than 20 years now. And it is something that the government must continue to address, whether or not we are nearing election season.

It is just good that private companies are somehow taking the lead in making sure that work opportunities are not wanting in the country.     

Interested applicants at the job shopping area

Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. (PSEFI), under the trade name School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, Leadership and Service (SKILLS) held a LOCAL AND OVERSEAS JOB FAIR last May 16, 2015, Saturday, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm at the SKILLS Campus (Old Sacred Heart School for Boys-Ateneo de Cebu), along General Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City. This job fair is a yearly Job Bridging activity organized by Primary Structures Corporation (PSC) in partnership with Cebu City’s Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP). 

There were 50 different companies who joined this event, and more than 200 applicants came. All the local government units in Cebu City and in neighboring towns and municipalities were invited to this activity. What was good about this job fair was that it was not limited to the construction and hospitality industries. Hence, all kinds of jobs --- tourism-related, BPO, admin/managerial, sales and marketing, clerical, medical and occupational health jobs, etc. for both local and international companies, were up for grabs.

At the registration area with the DMDP and PSC staff

We are grateful for the following who gave their support and words of inspiration and encouragement to all those who attended the job fair: Atty. Rhett Casinio, the Overseas Employment Adjudicator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Ms. Suzanne Ordosa, the Officer-in-Charge of Cebu City’s Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP), Ms. Arlyn Hamoy of Region VII’s Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Engr. Rainero Tomas Jayme of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Region VII. 

 Mayline, PSEFI staff, assisting an applicant

I have always been for creating job opportunities in the country. However, aside from big corporations taking the lead, I would like to look into the wide panorama that creating business could do in our society. This is neatly tied in to the possibility of pushing social entrepreneurship to thrive. Our people, with their resilience and creativity, can become entrepreneurs in their own right. Given the right break and the right resources to start a business, the initiatives of each Filipino entrepreneur can become a success story waiting to be written. 

We hope that all those who came to give their resumés and were interviewed on-the-spot will be able to land a job soon. This job bridging activity is our concrete way of lessening the percentage of unemployment here in Metro Cebu.