BY ROMA R. GONZALES
ILOILO City – As a symbolic gesture of solidarity, about 10,000 workers are expected to join the city and provincial government’s Labor Day “Unity Walk” today.
A first in this city and province, the walk is envisioned to be a display of harmony between government officials, the private sector and the workforce.
“Ang unity sang labor force kag sang management has brought this kind of progress to the province and city,” said Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.
This strong solidarity unique to Iloilo must be sustained, he stressed.
Jeepney operators, drivers and vendors, among other groups, are expected to join.
The program will begin at 7 a.m. Participants will be divided into two groups – one assembling at Maria Clara Street, City Proper and the other at the Iloilo provincial capitol on Bonifacio Drive. The groups will converge at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.
Mabilog said he will make a “surprise announcement” for the benefit of city hall employees.
“It’s going to be a fun morning,” Mabilog said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 will turnover P2.6-million worth of livelihood assistance to two groups as part of the Labor Day activities.
The first group to get P600,000 worth of assistance is composed of 90 rebel returnees from the municipality of Miag-ao in Iloilo, said Salome Siaton, OIC assistant regional director.
The recipients, she said, will make use of the fund to start backyard farming.
The livelihood support to the rebel returnees is in partnership with the Philippine Army.
On the other hand, P2 million will be released to some 200 recipients – parents of children engaged in child labor in Barangay Mostro, Ajuy, Iloilo.
Siaton said the fund is in line with the target of DOLE to free from child laborers nine barangays in the region.
“If we want to make these barangays child labor-free, then we have to provide the parents with livelihood,” she said.
JOB FAIRS
Also today, a total of 39,723 local and overseas jobs are available in job and livelihood fairs across the region.
DOLE regional director Ponciano Ligutom said 109 local firms and 29 overseas companies have signified their intent to join.
“With such huge number of jobs available, we hope to place or hire on-the-spot more than the target 15 percent of qualified applicants,” he said.
This year’s Labor Day job fairs are anchored on the theme “Disenteng Trabaho at Kabuhayan, Alay Natin sa Bayan.” These will be held simultaneously in three venues.
In Iloilo City, local and overseas companies will be at SM City Iloilo, while the business process outsourcing or BPO companies will be at Amigo Plaza Mall.
SM City Bacolod will cater to jobseekers in Negros Occidental.
DOLE Region 6 said the call center industry offers the most number of vacancies with 4,400 available positions, followed by technical support, sales and marketing, and accounting positions for local companies.
“Cyber services are Region 6’s key employment generators. New BPO companies are emerging around Western Visayas,” Ligutom said.
For overseas companies, available positions include household service, construction and other technical jobs.
Meanwhile, a livelihood fair will also be held today at Amigo Plaza Mall in Iloilo City and SM City Bacolod where products of DOLE-assisted livelihood beneficiaries will be on sale.
The DOLE-Regional Coordinating Council will also provide a help desk to answer queries, or other labor-related concerns while the Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund and PhilHealth will also be offering their services. (With reports from the Philippine News Agency and Philippine Information Agency/PN)