TESDA stepped into the spotlight Monday night to honor the countryโs standout tech-voc graduatesโeveryday specialists who turned skills into livelihoods and livelihoods into community impact. At the Philippine Trade Training Center, the winners of the annual โIdols ng TESDAโ awards were formally recognized, spotlighting individuals whose careers now serve as living proof of what technical education can deliver when matched with discipline and heart.
Agriculture trainer Isabelito Carpio emerged as the national champion for the wage-employed category, while culinary educator Mary Rose Gemma Rodriguez took top honors among self-employed professionals. More than certificates and congratulations, both were held up as examples of tech-voc graduates who didnโt just master their craftโthey used it to uplift others. Runners-up also received distinctions, with cash prizes ranging from โฑ20,000 to โฑ30,000.
TESDA Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez praised the honorees as the backbone of an evolving workforceโgraduates whose influence now extends beyond their classrooms and workstations. โYou are champions of TVET,โ he said, noting that the winners are not only building careers but creating jobs, strengthening local economies, and inspiring the next generation of Filipino workers. For TESDA, these โidolsโ embody the real measure of success: skill that multiplies opportunity, community, and pride.
Image from TESDA FB