LAWMAKERS from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) called on the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to fully implement the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Law and overhaul its scholarship system during Senate deliberations on the agency’s proposed 2027 budget.
Sens. Joel Villanueva and Sherwin Gatchalian flagged a 51 percent decline in EBET enrollment—dropping from 126,000 in 2024 to 61,000 in 2025—despite the passage of Republic Act No. 12063.
Gatchalian stressed that EBET programs historically achieve high employment rates of 85 to 90 percent, but complex administrative requirements and uneven geographic participation hinder industry involvement.
From January to May 2026, only 490 implementers registered nationwide, with zero participation in Region XIII.
TESDA Secretary Francisco Benitez attributed the drop to transition adjustments under the new EBET framework.
He stated the agency aims to increase EBET’s share in its scholarship portfolio from 12 percent to up to 40 percent.
To ease compliance, TESDA is developing a digital one-stop shop targeted for rollout by the fourth quarter of 2026.
Villanueva urged creating a dedicated budget line for EBET rather than relying solely on the Tulong-Trabaho Fund.
He also highlighted the need to resolve implementation gaps, including establishing EBET support integrators for small enterprises and setting up internal dispute committees.
Beyond EBET, senators called for a comprehensive overhaul of TESDA’s broader scholarship system, citing weak beneficiary targeting, political influence, fragmented databases, and declining fund utilization rates, which dropped to 68 percent in 2025.
TESDA currently covers around 650,000 scholarship beneficiaries annually across multiple programs, including the Training for Work Scholarship Program and UAQTEA ladderized diplomas.
Villanueva requested a formal catch-up plan to address unutilized funds and demanded better tracking of post-graduation employment outcomes.
In response, TESDA announced it is integrating data-sharing with the Philippine Statistics Authority and Department of Social Welfare and Development alongside a new “Skills Passport” system to streamline beneficiary verification.
