MANILA, March 29 (PNA) — Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Joel Villanueva has once again put his well-reputed basketball skills on the line in an effort to woo the youth to get into technical-vocational education (tech-voc).
Villanueva joined some Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legends and tech-voc students in a friendly exhibition game dubbed “Shoot for your Dream” in General Santos City.
His visit to General Santos City also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Mindanao TVET (MinTVET) Association for the grant of PhP30 million worth of scholarship to deserving scholars starting this summer.
MINTVET is an association of tech-voc institutions in Mindanao.
Villanueva teamed up with former PBA players Jerry Codinera, Marlou Aquino, Rodney Santos, Bobby Jose, Bal David, Alvin Patrimonio, and Kenneth Duremdes to compose Team Trabaho, which were pitted against the Team Specialistas in Region XII composed of tech-voc students.
During the match held at the Lagao Gymnasium, Villanueva demonstrated his hoop skills in the hardcourt and shot three-pointers for three times.
“Like in a basketball game, one can’t stand still and wait in the midst of opportunities to get to the goal and win,” Villanueva said.
“These opportunities for learning and honing of skills are being made available by the government through the TESDA programs,” he added.
Before the crowd of about 4,000, including local officials led by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, the TESDA chief prodded the youth to “strive and work for the betterment of their lives, as TESDA assists them through its scholarship and competency assessment and certification programs.”
Villanueva has made the Shoot for your Dream basketball match a regular feature in his visits to the provinces to encourage the youth to get into tech-voc.
He also met with various media organizations and held a press conference to promote TESDA’s programs. (PNA)