37 drivers train to become chefs

To prove that the kitchen is not only the domain of women, 37 pedicab and tricycle drivers from barangay Bacayan in Talamban, Cebu City attend a culinary training program every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.

The drivers who are also members of Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities Training or Erpat organization learned new recipes, from embutido to lasagna.

The Barangay Bacayan culinary training started last month, said Barangay Gender and Development focal person Jenelyn Leyson.

The program aims to augment the income of the trainees with ages ranging from 32 to 65.

The program is supported by AboitizLand Inc. and the Aboitiz Foundation, in collaboration with the Department of Manpower Development Program (DMDP) of Cebu City.

AboitizLand, through its corporate social responsibility, donated cooking equipment to the barangay, while the DMDP facilitates the training course. The sessions are designed around easy-to-do, healthy and inexpensive recipes for easy-to-sell food items.

“The culinary training program for the fathers of Bacayan is part of the enterprise development of AboitizLand to each community it adopts. We offer programs that will help residents in the long run. We help them to become entrepreneurs and professional,” Corazon Baybay, AboitizLand’s community relations assistant manager said.

Leyson said Erpat members have been extending their services to the community by cleaning alleyways and fixing structures.

Bernardo Gerona, president of Bacayan Erpat and a course participant, said they were planning to put up a business to apply their knowledge from the project.