Idol. Daisy Alegarbes of Davao City is the new TESDA Idol in the self-employed category. She is a lady welder, painter, master plumber, trainer, entrepreneur, and educator.

MANILA, Philippines — Daisy Alegarbes, 28, of Matina, Davao City, won over some 22 graduates of technical-vocational education programs and skilled workers nationwide to garner the TESDA Idol title.

Daisy started showing inclination towards the arts when she qualified for a high school scholarship at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in Mt. Makiling, Laguna in 1995. In her third year at PHSA, her class visited the TESDA Women’s Center to witness the welding trade competition for the Philippine National Skill Olympics.

After high school, Daisy returned to Davao City and enrolled at the Ateneo de Davao University for a degree in architecture.

Interest in Welding

In the summer of 2000, Daisy trained in welding and steel fabrication at the Provincial Training Center-Davao. She acquired the skills and continued to master it even outside of the training workshop.

After attending a training program and passing a qualifying assessment, she became a TESDA-accredited assessor and trainor in welding.

She also won medals at the provincial and regional skills competitions in the welding trade-youth category in 2000 and 2001. Because of this, she came to be known as the first female welding trainor of the Provincial Training Center-Davao.

She also took it upon herself to learn more skills, particularly in construction painting in a course offered by TESDA and Dutch Boy Philippines. While in college and immediately after graduation, Daisy continued to obtain other qualifications in tech-voc education and training (TVET). These include Building Wiring Installation NC II, Gas Metal Arch Welding NC II, Training Methodology Course and Assessors Methodology Course.

Nevertheless, she completed her degree in BS Architecture in 2005 and passed the board examination in September 2008.

‘Punong Tubero’

In February 2010, she quit her job as an in-house architect and put up her own design and construction management company, the D. R. Alegarbes Architectural Designs Unlimited. Here, she employs technicians and skilled workers who are mostly graduates of TESDA- registered programs.

Aside from being an architect, Daisy has another professional qualification-punong tubero (professional master plumber). She earned this professional qualification from PRC seven months after her graduation from college. Daisy was also awarded by the city government of Davao the title Young Ambassador of Davao 2006.

Today, despite her busy schedule at work and civic activities, Daisy finds time to teach welding to engineering students of the University of South Eastern Philippines and architectural theories and designs at the Ateneo de Davao University.

Idols ng TESDA Award is the highest accolade given to TVET graduates who have attained skills excellence and success in their chosen occupations and have contributed to the economic growth of their communities.

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