The House Committee on Higher and Technical Education chaired by Baguio City Rep. Mark Go approved in principle, HB 3621 or the proposed “Out-of-School Youth Skills Education Act,” authored by Sultan Kudarat Representative Horacio Suansing and Nueva Ecija Representative Mikaela Angela Suansing.
During the deliberation, Rep. Mikaela Suansing said the measure would institutionalize free technical and vocational educational training for all out-of-school youths in the country via the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
“The measure would institutionalize free technical and vocational educational training for all out-of-school youths in the country via TESDA.”
The lady legislator also stated that the bill aims to promote an alternative path to productive employment, as well as short and long-term income security for younger members of society.
The approved measure however is subject to style and amendments.
The panel also approved House Bill 4127 or the proposed “Philippine Academic Regalia Act.”
The bill is authored by Northern Samar Representative Harris Christopher Ongchuan.
In the bill’s explanatory note, Ongchuan said the measure aims to utilize local resources especially from the far-flung areas to display and preserve the Filipino culture, as well as give back to the same communities that skillfully produce neo-ethnic textiles.
Other measures approved were:
1) HB 4553 or the measure seeking to establish a College of Medicine in the Visayas State University; and
2) HBs 153 and 1992, which mandates TESDA to establish a technical-vocational education and training program, as well as a livelihood program for rehabilitated drug dependents.
Lastly, the panel approved the consolidation of HB 4717 with HB 1581 or the proposed “Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) Governance Act,” which was recently passed by the panel.
