ILOILO – In a major push to transform detention into rehabilitation, the Iloilo provincial government has opened a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-accredited training center inside the Iloilo District Jail (IDJ) in Barangay Nanga, Pototan town, aiming to equip persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) with vocational skills for employment and reintegration into society.
The training facility, inaugurated on March 15, is a joint initiative of the Iloilo provincial government and TESDA. Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and TESDA secretary-general Jose Francisco Benitez led the opening of the center, which utilizes the refurbished Agri-Aqua Research and Technology (ART) Center located beside the jail compound.
The ART Center is owned and managed by the provincial government through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist.
The facility will function as a specialized skills hub offering TESDA-accredited programs, non-TESDA courses, and other vocational training aimed at helping detainees gain livelihood skills and employment opportunities once they return to society.
Defensor emphasized that the provincial government is prioritizing “productive detention,” ensuring that the time spent in jail helps detainees build a better future.
“We will convert the Iloilo District Jail into a TESDA training center. Why? Because this is not a jail. Our PDLs here are detention prisoners and they are not even guilty yet,” Defensor said.
Of the 1,247 total PDLs currently held at IDJ, about 1,150 are still awaiting trial.
“And besides, this is a rehabilitation center. And the most important aspect of their rehabilitation is their reformation. So we prepare them for reintegration, at the same time, we also help their family,” the governor added.
Benitez praised the initiative, saying the program will help reform detainees while preparing them to become productive members of society.
He said the training program will “assist them become productive participants in nation-building.”
Plans are also underway to build hatchery and fishpond facilities that will support hands-on agricultural training for detainees.
Under the program, PDLs will also have opportunities to participate in trade fairs and marketing events where they can showcase and sell products produced during their training.
Psychosocial interventions will likewise be provided to prepare detainees emotionally and mentally for their return to society.
During the inauguration, Benitez awarded Certificates of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Program Registration (CTPR) for two courses initially offered at the center: Bookkeeping NC III and Baking and Pastry Production./PN
