The House Committee on Higher and Technical Education has approved a bill that would provide technical-vocational training for rehabilitated drug dependents.

The measure, authored by former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez of Leyte, directs the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to develop training and livelihood programs aimed at helping recovering individuals gain employable skills.

The bill, co-authored by Jude A. Acidre of the Tingog Party-list as House Bill No. 4699, outlines a pathway connecting skills training with potential employment opportunities. It also instructs the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to offer incentives to companies that hire program graduates.

TESDA, under the proposal, will design programs focused on market-ready technical skills that can lead to wage employment or small enterprise. The bill also calls for funding to be included in the General Appropriations Act to ensure continuity and scale of the training programs.

Rules governing the program, including course design, certification, employer engagement, and tracking of employment outcomes, are to be issued by TESDA and DoLE within 60 days of the bill’s effectivity.

The committee’s approval moves the bill to the House plenary, where supporters anticipate bipartisan backing due to its focus on second-chance employment and measurable outcomes such as job placement rates and enterprise start-ups among graduates.