ROMEO Visayas, 28, was sleeping inside his house with his family in Sitio Sindulan 2, Barangay Tina-an, City of Naga when he heard the earth rumble around dawn of Sept. 20.
When he went outside, Visayas was shocked to find that earth, mud, rock and other debris had covered the houses of his neighbors.
“Hapit gyud mi natabunan. Swerte kaayo nga nihunung ang landslide sa luyo sa among balay (We were lucky the landslide stopped in our backyard; otherwise, our house would have also been covered),” Visayas said.
Visayas was among the 158 landslide survivors who graduated from the work scholarship program offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
Visayas received his diploma on Tile Setting with a National Certification Second Degree (NC2) during the graduation ceremony held at the Naga City Hall on Friday, Dec. 21.
Employment awaits
Aside from their diplomas, the graduates also received tool kits and cash allowances from Tesda.
The 158 graduates received skills and technical education training on heavy equipment operation, tile setting and carpentry.
Landslide survivors who availed themselves of the heavy equipment operation program were required to undergo 160 hours, or 20 days, of training. Those who opted for tile setting were required to undergo 112 hours, or 12 days, of training. Those who took up carpentry attended 162 hours, or 21 days, of training.
The trainings were conducted by qualified teaching personnel from the St. Peregrine Institute School of Trade, a Tesda-recognized institute based in Bacoor City in Cavite.
Tesda Secretary Isidro Lapeña, who led the graduation ceremony, told reporters that aside from trainings and other incentives provided to landslide survivors, immediate employment also awaits them.
Lapeña said Tesda will help the graduates find a job based on the technical skills they acquired. He said the trainings provided by Tesda were part of the assistance provided by the national government to landslide survivors to help them recover from the tragedy.