Good job, Danny & Rica

If you tune in to Good Job over at DZMM TeleRadyo and you see someone who looks and sounds exactly like Danny Buenafe, then do not confuse him with someone else. Danny has returned to the local News and Public Affairs department of ABS-CBN after working for several years as head of both the Middle East and Europe News Bureaus of ABS-CBN Global.

“I just retired last December because in ABS when you reach 60, it’s mandatory (to retire),” began Danny. “I was based abroad for a long time and when I got back home, head of News Ging Reyes and I had a talk. She said, ‘Why not have a program on DZMM?’ And since I have news stringers in Europe and Middle East, I can assemble them if ever the program is related to news about Filipinos working abroad.”

Danny was offered to host Good Job and he right away accepted it with the thought that the program will benefit many listeners who are looking for better work opportunities either here or abroad. He recalled how — during his news anchor days — program ratings would automatically shoot up whenever they feature stories on available jobs for Filipinos overseas.

Danny stayed in London for 13 years while he also handled the Kapamilya news department in Middle East for 16 years that led him to make Dubai his second home. But unlike other Filipino overseas workers, the Kapamilya news legend was allowed to fly in to Manila four times a year to spend time with his family. He has two sons with the younger one still studying at De La Salle.

Asked if he considered staying in London for good, Danny replied in the negative and added, “Kasi naiinip din ako, gusto ko makabalik dito.”

These days, he is busy hosting Good Job that has been airing for over a little a month now with Rica Lazo, who also anchors Wow Trending.

Both Danny and Rica believe that the program will be instrumental in helping Filipinos give a better life to their families.

Apart from job opportunity announcements, Good Job also has a segment featuring PESO (Public Employment Service Office) to let the viewers and listeners know the list of available jobs in their localities.

Danny knows too well that earning a competitive salary is the biggest attraction for Filipinos to work overseas “without realizing how hard it is to live away from loved ones. With this (program), somehow if there is an available job near your place then you can work without leaving your family.”

Obviously, Danny would rather see Filipinos work locally than being miles away from home for he had been witness to the many sacrifices of OFWs. “They’re all after the welfare of their respective families kaya iniisip nila magka-double or triple job just to send (money) to relatives back home. I’ve seen some of them getting sick at lalo ako naiinis pag nakikita ko ‘yung mga anak na nagpapalit lang basta ng cellphone without even thinking about the sacrifices of their parents. I was a witness to many of those sad stories.”

That’s why, Danny is not keen on highlighting domestic worker jobs abroad “because I don’t want them (Pinays) to go and subject themselves to exploitation or abuses.”

In Good Job, Danny and Rica also invite spokespersons from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) who share tips and information on job hunting, job hirings and benefits of workers.

“We also tell the list of requirements of available jobs or give the contact numbers of providing agencies. So, we bring the info straight to your homes since not everyone has access to social media,” said Rica.

(Good Job airs Saturdays at 2 p.m. on DZMM TeleRadyo and DZMM Radyo Patrol 630.)