SENATOR Imee Marcos has filed Senate Bill No. 1351 seeking the establishment of a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Training and Assessment Center in the municipality of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.

The proposed measure aims to provide accessible technical-vocational education and training opportunities for residents of the area and nearby localities.

Under the bill, the center — to be known as the Bacarra, Ilocos Norte TESDA Training and Assessment Center — will operate under TESDA’s supervision and offer a wide range of technical-vocational education and training programs.

These will cater especially to students, out-of-school youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and low-income families, helping them acquire employable skills and improve their economic standing.

Marcos emphasized that the measure aligns with Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, which mandates the State to promote the right of all citizens to quality education and make it accessible at all levels.

“It is high time to make investments in human capital,” Marcos said in her explanatory note. “Youth, farmers, fisherfolk, and the working class will have the opportunity to become more productive, independent, and competitive if a training and assessment center were to be established.”

The proposed Bacarra TESDA Center will offer short-term certificate courses and modular training in various trades, including industrial technology, agriculture and aquaculture, livelihood and entrepreneurship, business literacy, computer literacy, and language proficiency.

The bill also envisions the center serving as a TESDA-accredited assessment site and providing technical-vocational training for teachers in coordination with the Department of Education, particularly for schools offering the technical-vocational livelihood track under the K to 12 Program.