MANILA, Philippines - Job seekers for overseas placement now have a chance to empower themselves with necessary tools and information before going abroad through a pre-employment orientation seminar (PEOS) held at participating SM malls’ Global Pinoy Centers. PEOS is a flagship program of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) provided free to overseas job applicants. Recently, a PEOS was held at the Event Center of SM Center Valenzuela where applicants for various positions abroad learned everything they need to know from work requirements to illegal recruitment. SM Supermalls endeavored to partner with POEA through its Global Pinoy CSR program because of the common goal to protect the rights and welfare of OFWs and their families. “SM shares POEA’s goal to keep our Filipino workforce educated about overseas employment and avoid the pitfalls of illegal recruitment,†said Glen Ang, VP for operations of SM Supermalls and program director for Global Pinoy. “Through this PEOS, the overseas job seekers also gain more insight and therefore make a better decision whether they should stay home or go abroad for their families.†The partnership with SM also allowed POEA to include other activities to the program, which includes job fairs, legal assistance and E-registration. More PEOS sessions are scheduled for the rest of the year, with the SM-POEA partnership working on the probability of bringing the seminar to provincial areas where an SM Global Pinoy Center is located.