SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE – Thousands of applicants got the opportunity to seek their next career, while hundreds were hired on the spot during the second "Build, Build, Build = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" Caravan held at the Subic Gymnasium, Subic Bay Freeport Zone over the weekend.
The one-day job caravan last Saturday was aimed at accommodating job seekers in the country, especially the displaced workers of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-Phil).
A total of 4,051 applicants attended the job caravan, wherein 2,464 or 60.8 percent were former HHIC-Phil employees, and the remaining 1,587 or 39.2 percent came in as walk-in applicants. Based on preliminary results, 186 applicants were hired on the spot, 99 of which were from HHIC-Phil.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the applicants who were hired on the spot yesterday would function in the following positions: welders, electricians, masons, fitters, engineers, drivers, painters, scaffolders, riggers, administrative assistants/clerks, sales, and marketing.
About 30,000 jobs were available from 106 employers during the event.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said it was President Rodrigo R. Duterte himself who ordered the holding of the job fair in Subic immediately.
"Nang malaman po ng Pangulong Duterte na nagkaproblema po ang Hanjin, nagpa-organize po siya agad ng jobs caravan, at natutuwa naman ako sa nakikita ko dahil marami ang naghahanap ng trabaho, at marami na ang na-hire on the spot. Asahan niyo po, walang tigil ang programa ng Pangulong Duterte at ang pangarap niya sa Pilipinas na lahat po ng ating mga kababayan ay magkakaroon ng trabaho (The President ordered us to organize the jobs caravan. Many were hired on the spot. Rest assured that the programs of President Duterte would continue and his dream for Filipinos to have jobs),” Villar said.
Various companies took part in the event, including contractors of the DPWH, Department of Transportation (DOTr), Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Department of Trade and Industry - Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (DTI-CIAP), and locators of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), and the Clark Development Corp. (CDC).
"The 'Jobs, Jobs, Jobs' Caravan complements the 'Build, Build, Build' Program dahil nakakapagbigay tayo ng trabaho at oportunidad para makiisa ang ating mga kababayan sa paggawa ng mga imprastraktura na naglalayong paunlarin ang ating bansa (The 'Jobs Jobs Jobs' Caravan complements the 'Build Build Build' Program because we are able to provide jobs and opportunities for our countrymen to help in the building of infrastructures that aim to make the country progressive)," DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
The jobs caravan was organized by the "Build, Build, Build" Inter-Agency Committee, in partnership with the DOLE, DTI, SBMA, and CDC.
The BBB Inter-Agency Committee is composed of the DPWH, Department of Finance, DOTr, Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, and the Bases Conversion Development Authority.
The first "Build, Build, Build = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" Caravan was held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on August 12, 2018, where 12,000 job vacancies from more than 40 employers were offered. (PR)
