ILOILO CITY – The town of Tubungan in Iloilo province is the pilot site for the skills enhancement program of the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the United Nations (UN).
TUBUNGAN Mayor Roquito Tacsagon (center) discusses the ‘Tubong-Tubong’ program that brings services of the local government closer to the people.  (Tubungan LGU) The program known as ILO Skills for Prosperity (ILO-SFP) is an inclusive and area-based program that improves employment opportunities for Tubungan’s out-of-school-youth and members of the indigenous peoples (IP). With a funding of P4.5 million from the British government, the program aims to boost the capacity of 25  residents to enable them to get certification for food processing under the tutelage of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Tubungan Mayor Roquito Tacsagon said the ILO-SFP can give more opportunities for out-of-school-youth and the IPs who are marginalized sectors in the municipality. “They can find better jobs, better income to help their families,” Tacsagon said. “We want to reduce their vulnerability in the working world by boosting their level of employability,” added Katherine Brimon, senior project officer of ILO-SFP. Tubungan, a fourth-class town in southern Iloilo province, was chosen as the pilot site as it has a potential for economic growth and a strong multi-sectoral convergence program to address socio-economic concerns of residents. The ILO-SFP is in line with the local government’s “Tubong-Tubong” program, which brings services closer to residents, especially in far-flung mountainous barangays (villages). “We hope to replicate this program not only in other places in Western Visayas, but in other areas of the country,” Tacsagon added.