“Career development is the most fundamental stage of cultivating the most important resource of our country which is our human resource.”
Speaking before hundreds of secondary students and educators today at the Regional Career Expo 2026, Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. stressed the need to guide our students in choosing a career that defines their future and addresses the need of the economy and the country.
Career counseling is a passion of Governor Defensor who authored Republic Act No. 11206 or the Career Guidance and Counseling Act when he served as congressman of the third district of Iloilo.
"Our human resource is the most important resource of the country. We want our students to choose careers that align with their passion and what the economy needs. We want you to do it for yourself, for your family, and for the country,” he said.
The governor has also translated career counseling into local action through his Bulig Eskwela sang Probinsya (BES Probins) Program.
Under BES Probins, the provincial government crafted the Career Guidance and Instructional Module (CGIM) for secondary students which aims to guide students make informed decisions about their courses by connecting it with the demands of the labor industry.
The module was crafted in collaboration with the Department of Education Iloilo and the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).
In fact, the province of Iloilo is the first in the country to produce a career guidance manual for secondary students.
The first day of the Regional Career Expo 2026 at Grand Xing Imperial Hotel gathered around 400 students and staff from Iloilo City, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Roxas City.
Also present are DepEd VI Regional Director Dr. Cristito A. Eco, DepEd Division of Iloilo officer-in-charge Dr. Ruby Therese Palmaira-Almencion, PESO Province of Iloilo Manager Cynthia Dario, Provincial School Board Secretary Maria Freda Fajardo, and the members of Education Core Group of the province of Iloilo.
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