For Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, mentoring the next generation of Taguigeños should go beyond the confines of traditional education.
This was the senator’s message on Wednesday during the City of Taguig Local Government’s signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with Lifeskills PH for their partnership on Technical and Vocational Education.
Reflecting on how this partnership came about, Cayetano shared that he and his wife, City of Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, prayed and pondered during the pandemic on how they could better serve their constituents after three decades in public service.
“[Mayor] Lani and I were at the stage when we realized that it’s not about what we are supposed to do but also what we’re supposed to pass on. It’s about mentoring the next generation,” Taguig’s homegrown senator said during the MOA signing ceremony on Wednesday, May 8, in Taguig.
Citing one of his favorite verses in the Biblical book of Hosea, the senator shared the sad reality of how people die due to lack of knowledge and how this is relatable in Filipinos’ lives.
“Matalino ang anak mo pero hindi mo alam na may scholarship. Hindi nakapag-aral kaya namatay ang pangarap niya,” he explained, stressing the dire repercussions of lack of knowledge and life skills.
This is why Cayetano commended Lifeskills PH’s partnership with Taguig, saying the whole group “would bring in not just life skill, but also hope, mentoring, and preparing the next generation.”
The partnership forged between Taguig LGU and Lifeskills PH, led by President Cecile Ang and Director of Partnerships Jose Mari Oquinñena, aims to empower Taguigeños in building their technical and practical skills to integrate them into the workforce.
Particularly targeting students and out-of-school youth, the initiative offers diverse courses ranging from beverage specialists, housekeeping, banquet service, contact center, programming, and life skills.
Cayetano’s sentiment of providing more options for the future for Taguigeños deeply resonates with the LGU’s commitment to nurture the talents and capabilities of its citizens.
Through various initiatives, Taguig LGU has consistently supported the labor and livelihood of its citizens by hosting job fairs and placement programs, and successfully referring 140,000 applicants to employment opportunities.
Through its Manpower Training Center, it also actively offers free TESDA-registered programs through the first LGU-led Training and Assessment Center, and promotes cooperative enterprises.
In wrapping up his message, Cayetano expressed hope that with Taguig’s progress, this initiative will not only help prepare young citizens for the future, but also allow them to decide on the kind of future they want.
“I hope that in the end, any young person, not only in Taguig but in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, pati ang mga anak ng OFWs, will not be told ‘beggars can’t be choosers. Mayroon na silang choice but we have to provide the knowledge and Lifeskills PH will provide for it not just from the textbooks and four corners of the classroom,” he said.
