(FILE PHOTO) TESDA chief Isidro Lapeña. INQUIRER FILE/JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) is proposing a P15.768 billion budget for 2022 in a bid to prepare workers “for the constantly evolving world of work in this age of technological transformation.”
During the briefing of the House committee on higher and technical education, Tesda executive director Rosalina Constantino said the total proposed budget of the agency is at P15,768,758,978.
Tesda’s proposal is divided into two tiers—the first tier amounting to P13.736 billion and the second tier amounting to P2.032 billion.
Under tier 1, P10.067 shall be allocated for various scholarship programs of Tesda such as the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) and the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), among others.
Meanwhile, P3 billion shall be allocated for regular operations, and P47.2 million for the implementation of Executive Order No. 70 or programs related to the whole-of-nation approach “for inclusive and sustainable peace.” E.O. No. 70 created the
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
Meanwhile, the budget proposal for tier 2 includes nearly P800 million for the establishment of new innovation centers and Tesda learning centers, as well as the acquisition of new equipment; and P26 million for the Medium-Term Information and Communications Technology Harmonization Initiative (MITHI).
Tesda is also proposing an additional P1.2 billion for other unfunded legislation related to the agency.
Constantino, however, said that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) only approved P14.537 billion for TESDA’s budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Constantino said this is barely a 0.5 percent increase from their approved budget in 2021.
“We are looking forward to the increase of this budget for 2022 to help build the long-term resilience of our countrymen and help prepare our workers for the constantly evolving world of work in this age of technological transformation,” Constantino said.
RELATED STORY:
1.6 million enrolled in Tesda courses since lockdown — Lapeña