The House Committee on Higher and Technical Education has approved a measure directing the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to implement targeted training and livelihood programs for rehabilitated drug dependents, aimed at helping them reintegrate into society.
House Bill No. 4699, authored by former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre, seeks to establish a dedicated reintegration track that equips former drug dependents with employable, market-ready skills while offering incentives to employers who hire them.
“We are encouraging hope in this bill of former Speaker Romualdez and make recovery real for families. When TESDA training is matched with actual job opportunities and incentives for companies, people who did the hard work of rehabilitation can finally move forward with more hope for a better future,” Acidre said.
“This will help open doors for a segment of our society that suffers from the social stigma that keeps them from seeking help, and it tackles the practical hurdle of finding dignified work after rehabilitation,” he added.
Under the proposal, TESDA—working with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)—will develop technical-vocational education, training, and livelihood programs tailored specifically for rehabilitated drug dependents.
DOLE, meanwhile, will provide incentives to private companies that employ graduates of the TESDA-led initiatives.
To ensure long-term implementation, the bill mandates TESDA to allocate funding for the program in its annual budget.