WELCOME SPEECH Distinguished TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva, Provincial Director of TESDA Laguna, Mr.

Pascual Arriola, Honorable Representative Dan Fernandez, our dear Vice Governor, Hon. Caesar Perez, beloved Municipal Mayor Calixto R. Cataquiz and Hon. Lourdes Cataquiz, our ever-supportive Administrator Dominador S. Marmeto; faculty, candidates, parents, friends and family members, Good Afternoon. First, let me congratulate all of you, the graduating batch of this 117th Commencement Exercise. I congratulate the Faculty Members and our beloved Administrator for their hard work in helping you reach this far. Graduation doesnt mean it is the end; in fact it is only a beginning. A beginning of a new hope, a new career and a new life for you. Perhaps, a number of you will be seeking opportunities overseas, some will choose to stay in the Philippines to work in the industry, pursue higher education, or become professionals in specialized fields. Competitiveness is a combination of hard work, knowledge and good disposition. This combination is a natural gift among Filipinos. The continuing demand in the opening of foreign businesses in the Philippines is evidence to prove this. Foreign employers of service-oriented and IT jobs, choosing Filipino workers over other nationalities, is becoming a common place. And being a Technical and Vocational Education and Training or TVET graduate guarantees alleviation from poverty in order to improve the quality of human life and promote sustainable development No matter what the future holds, it is a fact that all of you will contribute and be equally responsible for the fate of our country. All are accounted for in doing something to help the Philippines rise to new heights. And of course, our distinguished and successful 805 new graduates of the School Based and Community-based programs, will be holding more important positions in their respective fields. I congratulate all our dear graduates for making this far and aspiring to go further. I congratulate all the parents for your love and support in every step of the way. And most importantly, I congratulate the instructors who have been instrumental in preparing our graduates today for giving the quality training for excellence and for preparing them to be globally competitive to become active contributors of the society.