By Rachel Magday

 

Nueva Vizcaya emerged as one of the region’s top-performing provinces at the WorldSkills Philippines Cagayan Valley Regional Skills Olympics, placing third overall and bringing home four golds, four silvers, three bronzes and two medallions of excellence at the May 19–20 competition held at the Aparri Polytechnic Institute in Maura, Aparri. Isabela topped the overall standings, followed by Cagayan in second place.

The 55-member Nueva Vizcaya delegation — composed of technical-vocational (tech-voc) trainees and recent graduates from training centers and schools across the province — competed in 14 of the meet’s 33 trade areas. The team was led by TESDA provincial director Benhur Baniqued.

Eva Doniego, supervising technical education development specialist of TESDA Nueva Vizcaya, expressed gratitude to the Office of Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito for providing PHP 250,000 in financial assistance, saying the support was instrumental in enabling the delegation’s participation and preparation for the regional meet.

Governor Gambito also extended his congratulations to the Nueva Vizcaya delegation, praising the trainees, their trainers and TESDA officials for demonstrating excellence and dedication. He reiterated the provincial government’s commitment to strengthening skills development programs and expanding employment and international-competition opportunities for the province’s youth.

Medal summary for Nueva Vizcaya

• Gold: Cyber Security (SMU); Cooking (PLT); Bakery (PLT); Landscaping (Nueva Vizcaya Polytechnic Institute)
• Silver: Web Technologies (SMU); Patisserie (PTC); Carpentry (Bambang NHS); Fashion Technology (Nueva Vizcaya Polytechnic Institute)
• Bronze: Information Networking (SMU); Automotive (Bambang NHS); Electrical (Bambang NHS)
• Medallion of Excellence: Hotel Reception (SMU); Restaurant Service (PLT College Inc.)

The TESDA Skills Olympics, or WorldSkills Philippines, is an annual contest that tests the vocational and technical skills of Filipino youth. Regional meets like the Cagayan Valley event spotlight top performers who can advance to national and international competitions and highlight local efforts to improve tech‑voc training.