Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva reiterated the value of lifelong learning through skills development, assessment, and certification as tech-voc education has become widely accessible and available not only in the Philippines but in the rest of Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 14th WorldSkills ASEAN Manila 2025, Villanueva expressed gratitude to Malaysia, current ASEAN chair, for giving prominence to skills development through the event which he described as the “Olympics of Skills.”
“We thank Malaysia, current ASEAN Chair, for paying attention to skills as a key driver of regional growth through the ASEAN Year of Skills 2025. Your intense participation here demonstrates your commitment to show that skills are truly the currency of the ASEAN labor market,” said Villanueva, popularly called TESDAMAN for making tech-voc education widespread during his term as director general of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) up to the halls of the Senate and as EDCOM2 Commissioner.
“Here in the Philippines, success stories of our TVET graduates prove that skilled workers have greater labor mobility, contribute to economic resilience, and propel the growth of our micro, small, and medium enterprises,” he continued.
Villanueva pointed out the importance of skills certification to gain meaningful employment and improve an individual’s economic and social standing across the region, citing the Vientiane Declaration on Skills Mobility, Recognition and Development that ASEAN leaders passed last year.
“Skills certificates have been recognized as passports for employment and upward mobility in the ASEAN workplaces. What more of the certification of having participated in a WorldSkills Competition? What better recognition than being awarded a medal?” he said.
With ASEAN’s youth population projected to exceed 220 million by 2038, the senator expressed hope that this rising demographic will drive “transformative growth” through innovation, resilience, and continuous learning.
The senator congratulated all the 259 competitors that went head-to-head across 32 skill areas under six (6) sectors: Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, Information and Communication Technology, Construction and Building Technology, Social and Personal Service, Creative Arts and Fashion, and Transportation and Logistics, emphasizing that skilled work has become the foundation of a thriving future.
Team Philippines won a total of 30 medals with 10 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze and 5 medallions of excellence. The Filipino gold medalists are Hayden Christian Gravador and Gian Benedict Cariño for the Internet of Things, John Patrick Torres and Steven Retirado for CNC Maintenance, Alexis Joseph Anuta for Plumbing and Heating, James Cavin Sayago for Electrical Installation, James Bryan Estrada for Industrial Control, Honorato Amad II for Carpentry, Agee Docayso for Cooking, Denmark Dadia for Refrigeration and Airconditioning, Hannah Krystelle Caintic for Graphic Design Technology and Carlos Antonio Delos Reyes for Hotel Reception.
This 14th edition of the WorldSkills ASEAN Competition in the Philippines with the theme “ASEAN: Skilled for the Future” marked the Region’s largest display of technical excellence and vocational innovation since its inception. It also reflected the shared vision of the 11 ASEAN Member States (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Timor Leste, which participated for the first time, to invest in human capital as the foundation for inclusive growth, resilience and sustainable development.
“You can only rest on the laurels of the WorldSkills Competition by upskilling. Break out of the shell of your current level. Seek more challenges and opportunities that abound in our ASEAN communities,” Villanueva said.
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