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- EDD K. USMAN | X (Twitter): @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 |Facebook: SDN – SciTech & Digital News
MANILA, July 5, 2025 (SDN) — Filipinos’ technical and vocational (tech-voc) skills will be put to a gauntlet of tests on August 26-28 as the Philippines hosts on August 26-28 the WorldSkills ASEAN Manila 2025 competition.
Led by Secretary Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez, the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), held the media launch of the event on July 5 at Casa Ibarra Restaurant, Coral Way, Pasay City, Metro Manila, signaling the agency’s readiness to host the international skills competition.
This year 12 countries will be showcasing their advancement in tech-voc skills as Timor Leste and Japan have been admitted for the event.
ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. The year 2025 marks only the second time the Philippines is a host of the event, doing it for the first time in 1966.
Benitez cited the significance of the competition that pits skilled talents from the 12 countries. Timor Leste as ASEAN, but its membership is not yet formally announced.
“WorldSkills ASEAN showcases the high level of excellence among skilled talent. Thus, it has also become a movement that displays the true value of skills, and how skills can create economic opportunities and change lives,” the TESDA chief emphasizes.
He also welcomed the country hosting the three-day skills contest, saying the Philippines is proud to champion technical and vocational education training (TVET), believing this will strengthen ASEAN’s commitment to a future built on excellence and providing opportunities.
The Philippines has at least 32 skilled talents competing in the various skill areas.
One of the Filipino competitors, Abraham Badar of Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) told SDN – SciTech & Digital News he is happy for his participation in the event.
He said Filipino participants in order to be chosen had to undergo a series of skills competitions, culminating in the national finals where winners become the Philippine representatives. Badar and his partner Roneil Arriesgado will compete in Mechatronic.
Another Filipino participant, Sydrik Mandario of Rizal Technological University (RTU) in Pasig City, Metro Manila, told SDN is also happy to be one of the Philippine representatives in the event.
One of the highlights of the media launch was the unveiling of the event’s official logo and its theme which revolves around “ASEAN: Skilled for the Future” and the robot mascot named Teepee, which stands for Techno-Pinoy, a symbol of the country’s focus on innovation.
TESDA expects over 1,000 competitors, experts, and delegates from the 10 member states of ASEAN, as well as guest participants Timor Leste and Japan.
Benitez, a former congressman of Negros Occidental’s third district, highlighted the event’s broader mission, which is to raise public awareness of TVET, the promotion of the employability of the youth, and strengthening the connections between education, industry, and the labor market.
In relation with the WorldSkills ASEAN Manila’s theme, it points out the crucial role of skills in equipping the region’s workforce for the demands of tomorrow, where adaptability, innovation, and digital proficiency are essential in coping with the future of work.
“Skills is the currency of the future”
TESDA said the theme also reflects the shared vision of members of ASEAN to invest in human capital as the foundation for inclusive growth, resilience, and sustainable development.
Participants in the WorldSkills ASEAN Manila will be competing against each other in 32 skill areas, across six fields of sectors, such as Transport and Logistics, Creative Arts and Fashion, Social and Personal Services, ICT (information and communications technology), Construction and Building Tech, and Manufacturing and Engineering Tech.
The skills cover a wide range areas, such as Automobile Technology, Beauty Therapy, Cooking, Electrical Installation, Electronics, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, Hairdressing, Information Network Cabling, Internet-of-Things, IT Network System Administration, IT Software Solutions for Business, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mechatronics, Mobile Robotics, Rapid Transit System, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Restaurant Service, and Web Technology.
Benitez said the Filipino participants have been in rigorous training regimen, some at the TESDA compound in Bicutan, Taguig City, and others were sent to China and Thailand. He said WorldSkills is the “Olympics of skills”.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. issued Administrative Order No. 34 creating an inter-agency task force for the seamless implementation of the competition, naming 14 government agencies that each of them will play important roles to enable the competitors to focus on their events, feel safe and secure, a showcase of the famous Filipino brand of hospitality.
TESDA, obviously can’t do it alone, hosting the WorldSkills ASEAN Manila, so it has partnered with the industry with at least 30 companies that include Samsung, Siemens, and L’Oréal Philippines to support TESDSA by providing equipment, training, and facilities for the event.
There also other brands that forged partnerships with TESDA for the event, such as Festo, BMW, Daikin, Schneider Electric, Pilmico, Astoria Culinary Institute, Middleby, Unitec, Yalong, MSI, and CyberTech Institute.
Benitez described “skills” as the “currency of the future.”
“And we want to encourage every Filipino to upskill, to reskill, and to be lifelong learners,” the TESDA chief says. (/)