LABOR DAY JOB FAIR. Hundreds of job seekers take advantage of the Labor day job and business fair in the city where 18,256 jobs are up for grabs. (PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot)
BAGUIO CITY -- The Cordillera offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Wednesday released a total of PHP1,092,790 as livelihood support to workers in the region.
OWWA released the PHP20,000 each to 11 former overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who returned to the country to start anew.
"This is a continuing program, it just so happened that today the checks of the 11 OFWs are already available so we opted to release it in time for Labor Day," Manuela Pena, OWWA-CAR regional director, said on the sidelines of the job and business fair at the Baguio City National High School.
Pena said the assistance is one of the reintegration programs of OWWA to its members under the "Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program."
"The amount is a grant accessible to active OWWA members who suffered socio-economic cause of migration — di nakatapos ng kontrata sa (those who were not able to finish their contracts) abroad because of health problems, employment contract violation and others," she said.
Pena added that it is a continuing grant to help the former OFWs to start or continue their businesses.
"In terms of livelihood support program, funding is not enough and capability training is required. We need to give knowledge with business management as well as cliniquing support which we implement together with other agencies," Pena said.
She said going abroad is a choice but reality shows that there is also a need to give the OFW a choice whether to return or to stay in the country and pursue an economic enterprise in the Philippines.
Aside from OWWA, the DOLE also released the checks to 19 individual livelihood beneficiaries corresponding to a grant from the government.
Totaling PHP372,828, the beneficiaries will use the money, ranging from PHP18,000 to PHP20,000, for income-generating activities like food vending, baking, longanisa making, "sari-sari" store, soft broom production, bakery sewing, body-bag making. laundry services, homemade food production, food cart, peanut butter production, production of soya and beauty parlor services.
The DOLE also released to the Cordillera women weavers’ association a check worth PHP499,965 for their woven and knitted products.
DOLE assistance program
The DOLE does not only provide assistance to the formal labor sector but also aids the informal sector like individuals and associations who can employ themselves or create employment.
Dr. Emerito Narag, DOLE Baguio- Benguet field office chief, said the livelihood assistance fund released underwent a process prior to the support.
"They have to be a registered association of the DOLE under the rural workers association who were registered with the office. They were already doing their livelihood activity and they need additional capital so they submitted a proposal, we assessed it and they qualified," Narag said.
He said while the agency provides a grant to individuals, they prefer a group which is not only easier to monitor, but the bigger activity has the higher potential of creating jobs.
Narag said the Cordillera weavers’ association has proven its existence in the local product production.
From employee to employer
Department of Trade and Industry Cordillera (DTI-CAR) regional director Myrna Pablo has reiterated the importance of going into business.
"In the past, we were encouraged by our parents to get an education to be able to go abroad, to work in a multinational company or at least to find a job. Now, we are shifting to the need to be educated to start a business or manage a business," Pablo told hundreds of job seekers during the opening program of the job and livelihood fair.
She said the current thrust of the DTI is to create employment by being an employer or opening a business.
"In this job and business fair, we are not only offering vacant jobs locally and abroad for placement but we are now giving the people an option to start a business or to improve their existing business with the help of the "Negosyo Center" and the business forum.
At the Negosyo Center, there are business counselors and support agencies who will help in addressing the issue of "how to open a business", "what business to go into" and "how to manage a business," Pablo said.
At the business forum, there are also home-grown business coaches and mentors who will talk about "entrepreneurial mind-setting"— how they started and how the participants can also start a business.
The annual labor-day job fair in Baguio started a pivotal shift from simply offering jobs becoming a T-N-K or the "Trabaho" (job), "Negosyo" (business) and "Kabuhayan" (livelihood) thus providing an option to job seekers.
The Labor Day job fair in the city offered 18,256 job vacancies with 2,638 for local employment from 38 companies and 15,618 overseas jobs offered by 10 manpower companies. (PNA)
