THE POVERTY Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict continues to help indigenous peoples and former rebels improve their lives.

PRLEC, which the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority heads, has provided livelihood and other skills training in remote areas.

Last August 31, TESDA Region VI, together with PRLEC-member agencies in Negros Occidental, launched a project in two insurgency-cleared barangays in San Carlos City.

Dubbed as “Vamos sa Barangay Buluangan at Guadalupe para sa Kapayapaan at Kaunlaran,” TESDA held training on Shielded Metal Arc Welding NCI for 50 San Carlos residents.

In Region II, 25 former rebels and their wives in San Mariano, Isabela started their training on Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II and Cookery NC II last September 4.

The training was implemented under TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program and Special Training for Employment Program.

TESDA also launched in Jones, Isabela its Project IRIK or “Implementation of Resources for Isabeleños towards Key employment and livelihood as intervention”; on September 7.

A total of 125 residents from barangay Napaliong, Minuri, Namnama, Villa Bello, Sta. Isabel and Sto Domingo have started their training on Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC I and Tailoring NC II.

TESDA chief Isidro Lapeña stressed the agency’s commitment to provide interventions to help the country become insurgency-free by providing livelihood opportunities to those living in vulnerable areas.

“TESDA has various scholarship and livelihood programs for the beneficiaries such as members of the communist terrorist groups who decided to return to the government fold, residents of various geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities, including indigenous peoples in far-flung areas of the country,” Lapeña said.