Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday expressed satisfaction over the report of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 Director Ponciano Ligutom that more workers in the Western Visayas region would rather remain and work in the Philippines than abroad.
“This is a good indication that President Benigno S. Aquino III’s exhortation to our people to stay and work in the Philippines where they can be better protected is producing a desired effect,” said Baldoz, as she announced that 1,314 job seekers hired-on-the-spot (HOTS) at the 2012 Labor Day Job and Livelihood fair in three venues in the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo were for local employment, a record, compared to just 30 applicants hired for overseas work.
All in all, 1,344 job seekers were hired-on-the-spot on the three DOLE Labor Day job fairs participated in by 135 local companies—78 in Iloilo and 57 in Bacolod—and 46 overseas placement agencies (40 in Iloilo and six in Bacolod) which offered a total of 38,910 job vacancies to qualified jobseekers.
Ligutom reported that 7,218 job seekers registered for the job and livelihood fairs held at the Amigo Plaza Mall (955 registrants) SM City in Iloilo City (1,910 registrants), and SM City in Bacolod (4,362 registrants). Out of the 7,218 registrants, Ligutom said 6,960 applicants were qualified and referred, 5,701 of whom were for local employment, while 1,259 were for overseas work.
“Many of the qualified and referred applicants were told to come back to complete hiring procedures, submit some documentary requirements, or for further interviews. Thus, we are confident that the number of hires will further increase in the next few days,” Ligutom said, adding that the DOLE regional office will continue to monitor the hiring and placement of the employers that participated in the fair.
The Labor Day celebration in Western Visayas, led by the DOLE and chaired by Assistant Regional Director Dax B. Villaruel, saw the active participation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo, Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc.-Iloilo Chapter, and other business and workers’ groups, DOLE partner-agencies, organizations, and stakeholders.
At the Job and Livelihood fair, the DOLE regional office, through its various partners, also offered free services, including skills demonstration (table skirting and napkin folding, bartending, food and beverage services, and massage) and filing of application for assessment for National Certification offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and its supervised schools; free legal assistance services offered by the national Labor Relations Commission, National Conciliation and Mediation Board, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, and the DOLE Legal Service; passport application pre-evaluation by the Department of Foreign Affairs; career counseling by the Iloilo Guidance Councilors’ Network; renewal of professional ID & filing of application for Board Examinations for Teachers & Nurses by the Professional Regulations Commission; Libreng Tawag,for OFW families by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Sun Cellular; and medical, dental, haircut, massage, and blood-letting by the 301st Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, Philippine Airforce, Department of Health. Iloilo Medical Society, CCII, FFCCCI, and the Philippine National Red Cross.
The livelihood component of the Labor Day event also saw the participation of five DOLE-assisted projects which showcased products in the region ranging from cashew products, bags, and model galleon from Guimaras LGU; tailoring products of the women workers of Lambunao, Iloilo; processed mango of Igbaras LGU; processed milkfish of the OFW Dumangas North Chapter, Dumangas; and tailoring products and processed food of parents of children working in the pyrotechnic industry and the Western Visayas College of Science & Technology-Iloilo City.
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