26 4Ps members hired in Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas fair

By Connie Calipay

LEGAZPI CITY --- At least 26 members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were hired on the spot during the one-day Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) job fair at the Ka Fuerte Capitol Compound in Pili, Camarines Sur on Friday.

The Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas job fair is part of the whole-of-government initiative of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure that 4Ps members are able to secure employment to help them achieve self-sufficiency.

More than 3,000 job seekers attended the employment fair, which was participated in by 23 employers offering 2,365 employment slots to assist 4Ps grantees attain financial independence.

The job seekers were also provided with cash assistance of PHP3,000 each.

One of those hired on the spot was Adan Cavite, 45, from Barangay Sagurong, Pili, who thanked the government for the opportunity to have a job.

“Today, I am one of the lucky ones to be accepted. This is a big help for me because I have been unemployed for three years,” he said in Filipino during an interview after he was hired as a delivery man in a sales company based in Naga City.

“I am very grateful to the DSWD because I was given the chance to work again. To President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., he really does everything to help the poor, especially the members of the 4Ps.”

Another was Alex Albert, 44, who also thanked the government for the job opportunities.

“This is a big help to my family. I was hired as a production operator. I am sure that there will be work for the family. We are very thankful for the opportunity,” he said.

Priscilla Saladaga, DSWD 5 (Bicol) 4Ps division chief, said the job fair is one of the interventions of the government for 4Ps beneficiaries who will exit the program.

“This assistance promotes and ensures that they exit with a higher standard of living as self-reliant or self-sufficient,” she said.

Other key government agencies that extended services to the job seekers were the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Internal Revenue, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, Social Security System, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and Philippine Statistics Authority.

The job fair also featured the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program, which promotes entrepreneurial activities and different local products in the Bicol Region.

The Department of Health, on the other hand, provided free medical services, such as dental care, medical check-ups, ophthalmology services, dermatology services, ENT check-ups, and immunization services.

“Kadiwa ng Pangulo” stalls were also set up by the Department of Agriculture to provide affordable basic goods and commodities to the beneficiaries.

Aside from free services, a payout activity for families affected by Tropical Storm Kristine was also simultaneously held at the event where financial assistance worth PHP5,000 was given to each beneficiary whose house was damaged.

The DOLE also distributed cash assistance to beneficiaries under the “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers” (TUPAD) Program.

The President, together with other Cabinet officials, attended the job fair and financial aid distribution. (PNA)