Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has lauded the President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to transfer the supervision of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Pimentel described the President’s decision, through Executive Order No. 5, as a “brilliant move.”

“It’s a brilliant move. I am in full support of the President’s decision to let DOLE supervise TESDA,” Pimentel said in a statement on Saturday.

“It is crucial for these two agencies to work together to address joblessness and productivity. Unemployment remains to be one of the biggest challenges that the Marcos administration should be able to address,” Pimentel added.

Pimentel has repeatedly expressed concern over the increasing number of unemployed Filipinos which is already at 2.99 million in July.

He said there is a need to synchronize efforts to address unemployment with DOLE and TESDA as the lead agencies.

“Hence, EO No. 5 augurs well in the efforts to address joblessness in the country,” Pimentel stressed.

Under Marcos’ Executive Order No. 5, the DOLE secretary shall also serve as the chairperson of the TESDA board.

In line with this, Pimentel said he hopes Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma to review TESDA’s proposed spending outlay for 2023 before the Senate tackles their budget proposal “to ensure that their policies are in sync with the end view of providing more job opportunities to the Filipino people.”

According to the EO, the move to let DOLE supervise TESDA is part of the national government’s decision to rationalize the functional structures of agencies with complementary mandates and promote coordination, efficiency, and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy.