JOB APPLICANTS. Job seekers fill out application forms at a job fair held at Bulacan Capitol Gym, Malolos City, Bulacan on Monday (June 12, 2023). In line with the Independence Day celebration, six job fairs were conducted in six sites in Central Luzon where some 12,000 vacancies were made available. (Photo courtesy of DOLE - Central Luzon)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Thousands of job seekers on Monday trooped to the various sites of job fairs in Central Luzon amid the occasional moderate to heavy rains experienced in the region the whole day.
In line with the celebration of the 125th Philippine Independence Day, some 12,000 vacancies were made available in six job fairs held simultaneously held in the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
Tarlac City Public Employment Service Office head Arnold Samson said there was a heavy turnout of applicants to the vacancies offered by some 33 employers in the job fair held at the SM City Tarlac.
Ninety jobseekers were hired on the spot while 451 were found to be qualified applicants.
“Congratulations po sa mga mapalad na applicants at maligayang 'Araw ng Kalayaaan' sa ating lahat (Congratulations to the lucky applicants and happy Independence Day to all of us),” Tarlac City Mayor Cristy Angeles said.
In Bulacan, more than 9,000 job vacancies were offered by 63 local employers and 13 overseas agencies.
Gov. Daniel Fernando said the 2023 Kalayaan Job Fair was made possible by the partnership between the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Migrant Workers and the provincial government of Bulacan.
Through the conduct of job fairs, Fernando said Bulakenyos have more chances of landing a job that will eventually lead to the achievement of their dreams for themselves and their families.
“Kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng Araw ng Kalayaan ay atin ring bibigyan ng pagkakataon ang ating mga kalalawigan na lumaya sa kahirapan sa pamamagitan ng paglalapit sa kanila ng libu-libong oportunidad sa paghahanap-buhay (Coinciding with Independence Day celebration, we will give our province-mates an opportunity to be free from poverty by bringing them closer to thousands of employment opportunities),” the governor said in an interview.
Arlene Tolentino, head of the DOLE-Pampanga Field Office, said applicants likewise trooped to the job fair conducted at SM City Telabastagan.
Tolentino said that 28 employers took part in the job fair wherein 4,315 vacancies were offered.
Aside from the job fairs, 37 parents of child laborers in the region were awarded livelihood enhancement packages under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) in line with the celebration of World Day Against Labor.
There were eight recipients of the livelihood starter kits in Pampanga, nine in Nueva Ecija and 20 in Zambales.
Tolentino cited the importance of providing the necessary assistance to the parents of child laborers in order to empower them.
She noted that poverty remains to be the primary reason children are forced to engage in laborious kinds of work.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo on Monday reminded Filipinos of their shared responsibility to protect and enrich the freedom and independence fought and died for by our ancestors.
In his message during the 125th Independence Day celebration at the grounds of Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan, Gesmundo said that every Filipino has a subsequent duty that must be borne along with the rights and freedom they enjoy.
“As Filipinos, we have the responsibility to protect and enrich the freedom we inherit. All of us are called to endeavor to carry out the dreams of those who supported our desire to be free,” he said in his message.
Other local officials likewise called on fellow Filipinos to keep the spirit of nationalism burning.
Fernando expressed the belief that it is the people’s duty to use the gift of freedom to help others.
Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. of Angeles City, Pampanga said the Independence Day celebration serves as a reminder of the patriotism and nationalism of “our heroes who hardly fought for our independence.”
Likewise, Mayor Vilma Calauag of this city called on her constituents to “cooperatively preserve independence” as this was a “gift of our history and a driving force towards a better future.” (PNA)
