A nation’s prosperity is defined by the residents’ willingness to achieve it. Thus, it is great to know that Filipinos are taking advantage of educational opportunities thrown their way. It is not everyday that people are given the chance to drastically improve the way they are living. The fact alone that many residents of Iloilo City took part of an educational program should evoke genuine happiness from every Filipino citizen. The numerous scholarship applications received by Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas only affirms that many of the city’s residents are indeed availing of President GMA’s scholarship program under Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Willing high School Graduates aged Eighteen to Fifty-Five years old will get a chance to enroll in an eight-hour training program everyday. Some of the learning courses offered by the different schools range from food and beverage services, welding, bartending to housekeeping; medical transcriptions and commercial cooking are the courses offered by St. Zita Training and Development Center, Inc. and KRYZ Culinary Arts and Restaurant Institute, respectively.

Aside from each beneficiary receiving a daily 60 peso allowance, every scholar will receive a certificate from TESDA after finishing the said eight-hour training program. These certificates may serve as credentials for job applications, making the lives of many Iloilo City residents better. As it remains a “big hit” in Iloilo City, many more are expected to sign up until the end of the program in December 2009. We can only hope for the same driving spirit in our other cities.