BUTUAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Public Employment Services Offices (PESO) Agusan del Sur spearheaded the Jobs Fair at Naliyagan Cultural Center, Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur during the Labor Day celebration on May 1, 2013 with the theme, “Manggagawang Pilipino: Handa sa Hamon ng Makabagong Panahon.”
Ms. Naomi Lyn Abellana chief, labor and employment office of Agusan del Sur said in dialect during her presentation of the rationale of the activity that they offered jobs and business opportunity for the participants to avail of. She said this could be of help especially to the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer who will be graduating this year. Ms. Nerisa T. Murih, DSWD Assistant Regional Director for Administration emphasized in her message that if we have a strong community, we will also have a strong nation.” She encouraged the job seekers especially the Pantawid Pamilya and SLP beneficiaries to make use of the opportunities given to them such as job and livelihood fair, for them to have a better and brighter future.
During the Job Fair, DSWD offered free photo booth for the applicants. Other government agencies were also present to cater the needs of the applicants such as Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), National Statistics Office (NSO), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
The participants of the activity included the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya and Sustainable Livelihood Program. One of them was Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary Ruela Nabanuan, 26 years old, married and a mother of two children. A resident of the municipality of Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, she was was one of the hundred job seekers who attended the job fair. “Lisud man para sa ako nga mabiyaan akong pamilya labaw na akong mga anak, pero kini ang usa sa mga solusyon nga akong nakita aron mahatagan namo sila og maayong kaugmaon (though it’s hard for me to leave my family especially my children, this is one of the the best solutions for me, in order to give my children a better future),” Ruela said while filling-out the application form for overseas work..
Like Ruela, many Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries attended the job fair. “Unta daghan pa og mga ingon-ani nga activities diin makakita kami og mga panginabuhian, labaw na pareha sa amoa nga taman high school lang ang nahuman (We hope there will be more activities like this where we can look for jobs especially to people like us who only finished high school),” Ruela concluded. ### (Social Marketing Unit)
