BACOLOD CITY — Twenty-five jobseekers were hired on the spot (HOTS) for local employment during the Kalayaan Job and Livelihood Fair of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Western Visayas held at the 888 Premier Mall here on Tuesday.
This year’s “Kalayaan Day Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan (TNK)” registered a total of 927 job hunters. Of the number, 574 were qualified for employment and were also among the 686 identified for further interview.
A day before the job fair, 2,651 local jobs have been listed as available along with 1,985 for overseas employment.
Vacancies offered by local firms include those for business process outsourcing such as customer services representatives and technical support associates. Others vacancies are for heavy equipment mechanic, engineers, welder and crane operators as well as drivers, conductors and accountants.
Jobs available abroad are for skilled workers, including welders, carpenters, mason, pipe fitter, service crew, cashiers, drivers, service crew and factory workers for Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Mary Agnes Capigon, officer-in-charge of DOLE-Negros Occidental Provincial Office, said the Kalayaan job fair is a continuing initiative to increase employment and reduce poverty incidence among the provinces in Western Visayas.
Meanwhile, the DOLE-6 (Western Visayas) turned over about PHP2 million worth of livelihood assistance to two groups of beneficiaries also during the TNK activity in the same venue.
Regional Director Johnson Cañete led the distribution of the two checks to 153 recipients in Negros Occidental.
A total of 100 beneficiaries from Barangay Isidro, E.B. Magalona town received PHP1 million for rice trading and carabao-raising projects.
The 53 beneficiaries from Barangay Buenavista, Murcia also received PHP1 million for bamboo crafts production project.
Cañete said the beneficiaries are mainly senior citizens, persons with disabilities and farmers. (Erwin Nicavera/PNA)
