ILOILO City – To bolster employment across Western Visayas, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will host a simultaneous job fair on May 1, offering over 12,000 job vacancies.
Themed “Sa Bagong Pilipinas: Mangagawang Pilipino Kabalikat at Kasama sa Pag-Asenso”, this year’s 122nd Labor Day Job Fair is the first region-wide event of its kind.
As of April 22, 172 employers have committed to participating in the event, offering a mix of local and overseas positions, according to DOLE regional director, Atty. Sixto Rodriguez.
This expansion to a region-wide format is a strategic shift from previous years where only select provinces hosted job fairs.
The job fair will be accessible across five provinces, with venues at key locations:
* Aklan – Northwestern Visayan Colleges Gym, Capitol Site
* Capiz – Robinsons’ Place in Roxas City
* Guimaras – Buenavista Gymnasium in the Municipality of Buenavista
* Iloilo – Robinsons’ Place on Ledesma Street, Iloilo City
* Negros Occidental – SM City in Bacolod City
This approach is intended to make the fair more accessible to residents within their own provinces, reducing the need for travel and broadening participation.
At a press conference held on Monday morning, Rodriguez emphasized that this initiative aims to “reach the unreached and to serve the unserved.”
Alongside job matchmaking, the event will feature pay-out activities for the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Project and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) assistance programs, totalling over P218 million.
The fair will also host a variety of activities, including skills demonstrations in areas such as barista training, first aid, and robotics, as well as a “KADIWA ng Pangulo” market event, involving 360 sellers and a pay-out for the Government Internship Program stipends to 132 beneficiaries.
DOLE has set up additional support through help desks and partnerships with other government agencies like the Social Security System, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth, and the National Bureau of Investigation, to provide comprehensive assistance to job seekers./PN
