SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian and Sen. Joel Villanueva on Tuesday urged the full implementation of the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Law.
During the Senate deliberations on the proposed 2027 budget of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Gatchalian raised concern over a 51-percent drop in EBET enrollment, from 126,000 in 2024 to 61,000 in 2025, despite the enactment of Republic Act (RA) 12063. He noted that enterprise-based training has historically produced an 85-percent to 90-percent employment rate.
Tesda Secretary Francisco Benitez attributed the decline to the transition from the agency’s previous certification and registration system to the requirements under the new EBET framework. Tesda plans to raise EBET’s share of its scholarship portfolio from about 12 percent to 30 percent to 40 percent with an initial target of at least 18-percent RA 12063 consolidated apprenticeship, learnership and other workplace-based training programs, allowing enterprises to take a greater role in skills development. But participation remains limited. From January to May 2026, only 490 EBET implementers were registered nationwide — 347 for general EBET, 98 for upskilling and 45 for apprenticeship.
Participation is also uneven across regions, with 70 implementers in Region 3 (Central Luzon), six in Region 5 (Bicol Region) and none in Region 13 (Caraga Region).
Lawmakers cited delays in establishing EBET support integrators for micro and small enterprises, the required one-stop shop and EBET committees in participating companies.
Tesda said it was streamlining requirements and targeting the rollout of a digital one-stop shop by the fourth quarter of 2026. It also said funding would be needed to help smaller enterprises meet program requirements.
Villanueva said EBET should have a more predictable funding mechanism, arguing that the Tulong-Trabaho Fund should not be its sole financing source. He proposed a separate budget item for the program.
Senators also pressed for an overhaul of Tesda’s scholarship programs, citing concerns over beneficiary targeting, fragmented information systems, financial management and the need to track employment outcomes.
Tesda serves about 1.5 million clients annually, with roughly 650,000 receiving scholarships. Villanueva noted that the obligation rate for scholarship funds fell from 87.8 percent in 2023 to 84.4 percent in 2024 and 68 percent in 2025, prompting him to seek a catch-up plan for fund utilization.
Benitez said Tesda was improving beneficiary verification through the Skills Passport and by sharing data with the Philippine Statistics Authority, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Tesda reported an 81.64-percent employment rate among technical-vocational graduates based on its six-month follow-up survey, while acknowledging the need for better tracking of learner profiles and the quality of jobs obtained.
