Mega job fair set on Independence Day

CEBU, Philippines - In line with the celebration of 111th anniversary of the Philippine Independence, the regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment will be spearheading the Mega Jobs and Livelihood Fair that is expected to help hundreds of unemployed persons land a job.

On the first day of the three-day event on June 12, DOLE-7 assistant director Exequiel Sarcauga said they are expecting that more than 100 will be hired on the spot out of the 25,000 job orders that is up for grabs.

In an interview, Sarcauga explained that despite a number of job opportunities offered, only a few are hired on the spot because most of the applicants do not posses with the skills needed for these jobs. This is a common problem that their department sees nowadays, he added.

Nonetheless, he is still hopeful that they could increase the number of workers hired as they have already several programs that are put up to address the problem. An example is the Skills Livelihood Program wherein those who were not accepted during the jobs fair were given free training by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Sarcauga said that so far, there are 35 overseas companies out of the 100 invited who have confirmed to join the jobs fair. 

The Mega Job Fair is only one of the many activities DOLE has lined up for the June 12 celebration. There will be also plan to have a job skills demonstration, free medical and dental services, trade exhibits and other public assistance.

Through Administrative Order No. 259, signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the DOLE was designated to lead in the organization and implementation of the Independence Day activities on Monday.

The department is tasked to convene inter-agency organizing task force to plan, coordinate and implement effectively all programs, projects and activities related to this national event. — Johanna T. Natavio and Barbara Anne B. Ocaba  (THE FREEMAN)