Bacacay, Albay – A total of 25 trainees from Barangay 14 completed the Bread and Pastry Production National Certificate (NC) II Training on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Under the Pag-abot Program’s comprehensive package for Community-Driven Development (CDD), the initiative was a part of the subproject “Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Skills Training and Provision of Amenities,” which was identified by community members to resolve the lack of livelihood opportunities in the barangay.
The graduates underwent a 21-day training on bread and pastry production from August 11 until September 16, 2025, to equip them with skills that can lead to the establishment of a bakeshop. Aside from the NC II Training, the participants also attended the Basic Financial and Marketing Management Training from August 6-8, 2025, to gain financial skills and practical expertise in launching their business venture.
KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Program Coordinator Aileen Mae B. Barcela, in her message, highlighted the importance of sustainability of the subproject, particularly the skills and attitude gained by the community members through the training provided.
“Sana po laging nasa isip natin yung word na sustainability na kahit saan po kayo pumunta or maging ilang buwan pa or taong makalipas yung skill po na natutunan niyo yung pagba-bake, hindi lang po yung skill pati yung attitude niyo…yung mga natutunan niyo po is malaking bagay na po iyon na hinding hindi po mawawala, hinding hindi makukuha sainyo, at hinding hindi makakalimutan,” she said.
(I hope we always keep in mind the word sustainability that wherever you go, whether months or years from now, the skill you learned in baking, not just the skill but also your attitude… the things you have learned are truly valuable, something that can never be lost, never be taken away from you, and never be forgotten.)
She added that the program looks forward to the subproject or the bakeshop business, that will be established by the community, would still be operational after years have passed.
Barangay officials, municipal officials, together with representatives from DSWD and TESDA, attended the ceremony to show support to the graduates.
Al-Francis Cabredo, a trainee and community volunteer, shared his experiences and learnings during the training, wherein, in his testimonial, he compared life to baking, which also has ingredients.
“Simulan sa precision, hindi ba maingat tayo ng mga ingredients so parang ganoon din sa life. So, dapat kapag may kulang kahit kaunti parang hindi kumpleto. Hindi naman perfect, pero iyon ang parati ang goal. Then sa patience and perseverance, syempre sa baking same sa life, dapat hindi lahat minamadali dapat mayroong pasensya kasi may proseso,” he explained.
(Start with precision, just like how we carefully measure ingredients, it’s the same in life. If something is missing, even just a little, it feels incomplete. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but that should always be the goal. Then comes patience and perseverance. Of course, in baking, just like in life, not everything should be rushed. There has to be patience because there is always a process.)
Cabredo furthered that self-confidence, appreciation towards hard work, occupational hygiene, and teamwork are also ingredients in their training journey.
The Pag-abot program seeks to lower the risk and vulnerabilities of children, individuals, and families living on the streets by improving their social well-being through the provision of social welfare protection services, interventions, and opportunities.
The social protection services, such as Community Assistance and Local Government Unit (LGU) and Community Capacity Building, are being implemented using the KALAHI-CIDSS’ Community-Driven Development (CDD) strategy.