A total of 315 scholars, 75 of whom are former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), received their certificates of training during a graduation ceremony held at Camp Darapanan on Sept. 27. They successfully finished taking up technical-vocational courses offered by the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education – Technical Education and Skills Development (MBHTE-TESD) – (Marhom Ibrahim/BIO).
CAMP DARAPANAN, Maguindanao del Norte – As part of the education ministry’s series of mass graduation for this year’s completers of its technical-vocational courses, a total of 75 former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) received their competency certificates on Sept. 27.
The combatants were among the 315 scholars who completed their skills training on agricultural crops production, carpentry, bread and pastry production, electrical installation maintenance, cookery, dressmaking, and driving at Camp Darapanan.
The Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education – Technical Education and Skills Development (MBHTE-TESD) organized the tech-voc courses, including a values transformation training, in partnership with several institutions such as the Ittihadun Nisa Foundation Inc., Ibn Taimiyah Foundation Academy Inc., Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academic, Farasan Institute of Technology Inc., Darussalam Institute of Technology Inc., Foureych Technical Vocational and Learning Center Inc., The Moropreneur Academy, and Ebrahim Institute of Technology Inc.
Former combatant Nording Mandang, 44, said the skills he acquired on agricultural crops production will be very helpful to his family who are farmers.
“We are a family of farmers who are among the poor. My father and mother cannot read nor write,” Mandang said in Maguindanaon.
Mandang was only 21 when he joined the battlefield as a mujahideen. After he got injured during the all-out-war declared by then President Joseph Estrada in 2000, he moved to Camp Darapanan and started his own family.
Aside from being a TESD scholar, Madang is also among the first batch of the Islamic Studies and Arabic Language (ISAL) teachers hired by the MBHTE in 2021.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to our leaders in BARMM in achieving this goal,” Mandang said in vernacular.
MBHTE-TESD Director General Ruby Andong and Maguindanao Provincial Director Salekh Mangelen led the mass graduation in Camp Darapanan.
Andong said the trainings were part of Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim’s flagship programs in improving the skills of the Bangsamoro.
“This is the challenge to us Bangsamoro people, we must take care of whatever is given to us,” Andong said.
“I hope that the skills you learned will help you in improving your livelihood and in finding jobs,” he added. (Myrna Tepadan/BIO)
