TESDAMayan realizes a typhoon victim’s dream

By Pilar Mabaquiao

Violeta Salinog is beaming with happiness and hopes to see her house being constructed by the trainees of the Provincial Training Center-Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) the early morning of January 11, 2022.

She is the beneficiary of the disaster response- calamity support program dubbed as TESDAMayan of TESDA-Antique thru its Provincial Training Center in Guinsang-an, Hamtic, Antique.

“I was depressed, knowing that our house was toppled down by the strong typhoon Odette last year, but with the help of the TESDA trainees, we could now have a decent home,” Salinog said.

The house of 61-year-old Salinog is one of 30 structures damaged when Typhoon Odette hit the province of Antique in December 2021.

Salinog is a widow with four children. Her two sons and grandson are living with her, while her daughter is working in Manila and the other one has a family of her own in Mindoro.

Barangay Funda, Hamtic town, where Salinog resides, is one of the areas hit by the typhoon with 300 houses affected out of 679 households in the village.

Since the barangay is adjacent to the Provincial Training Center of TESDA and upon the assessment made by TESDA-Antique led by Provincial Director Noemely DG Dolar, she was chosen to be one of the beneficiaries of the TESDAMayan program.

As a form of providing disaster response and calamity support, TESDA Antique -Provincial Training Center-Hamtic team headed by its administrator, Karyn Mae M. Duay, visited the area to start the rehabilitation and reconstruction. Included in the team are John Q. Caballero, Sr. TESD Specialist, Larry R. Cahilig, Carpentry Trainer, and Maxmar N. Gonzales, Masonry Trainer.

A total of 28 trainees of Masonry NC II and Carpentry NC II under the Tulong Trabaho Scholarship Program (TTSP) and Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) started the training-cum-production to build the house of Salinog.

In an interview, Salinog expressed her gratitude to the team and to the agency for being chosen as the recipient of the rehabilitation program.

“My family including my 7-year-old grandson will be safe now in our new home. It is our dream to have a house safe enough to withstand the storm,” she said.

Duay assured the family that the house being built for the family of Salinog will be typhoon resilient.

“TESDA will also conduct additional training for Carpentry to assist other families affected by Typhoon Odette restore their houses,” said Duay.

Barangay Captain Roberto B. Sumande Jr. showed his support as the team proceed with the construction.

The construction materials are also provided by TESDA as part of the training program. (PIA)