TWENTY-FIVE police personnel in Negros Occidental have completed the Organic Agriculture Production NC II Training initiated by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
They received their certificates in graduation rites held at the Buro-Buro Spring Farm School Assessment and Training Center in Barangay Alangilan, Bacolod City on Wednesday, December 9.
The participating police personnel underwent the training from October 27 to November 26 this year under the agency's Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP).
They are now NC II holders after successfully passing the competency assessment conducted last December 1 and 2.
Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (Nocppo) Director Colonel Romy Palgue, who spoke at the ceremony, expressed confidence that the partnership between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Tesda will gain success mainly because of the active participation of his colleagues.
The police official also challenged the graduates to share their learnings to the community.
Police Lieutenant Benjie Dicen, the class president, accepted the challenge of Palgue, assuring that their family and community can also benefit from the skills they obtained through the training.
Police Senior Master Sergeant Michael Villafuerte, also representing the batch, said, "When we go back to our stations, our great challenge is imparting the knowledge to the community."
"We will make ourselves models for the community. We are instruments of God for other people," he added.
For his part, Tesda-Negros Occidental Specialist II Kristoffer John Cortez emphasized that the program was conceptualized in response to the Memorandum of Agreement between the Tesda and PNP signed by Tesda Secretary Isidro Lapeña and former PNP chief Archie Francisco Gamboa on July 13, 2020.
Cortez said it aims to empower indigenous people, former rebels and members of far-flung areas in the country by providing training to the uniformed personnel to, likewise, be certified trainers in the future.
He then told the graduates that they are recommended for another training in Trainers Methodology Level I.
The TWSP is a program that provides free skills training with free assessment, training support fund of 160 per day, P500 health personal protective equipment allowance, P500 internet allowance and GSIS Group personal accident insurance for one year.