Public Employment Service Office (PESO)-Bayambang, in coordination with the provincial office of the Department of Labor and Employment, held a Mega-Job Fair at the Municipal Covered Court on October 5, 2016.

PESO Bayambang Manager Gerenerio ‘Rene’ Rosales said the job fair was so far the biggest ever held in town. It was also meant to be a one-stop shop for potential hires, meaning the job application process would be streamlined for their benefit.

Municipal Councilor Benjamin Francisco de Vera, who is Chairman of Labor and Employment, together with Municipal Administrator Rodelynn Rajini Sagarino, welcomed the droves of applicants who crowded the venue as well as the 40 participating recruiters (29 local, 11 overseas) and the six representatives from the different government agencies involved in the employment process.

Sagarino noted that Bayambang is number one in poverty in the whole province of Pangasinan, and the mega-job fair was one way of addressing the problem.

Manning the different desks reserved for government agencies were Fitzh Gerald Sibonga, Family Welfare Officer (Pangasinan) of the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA); Marilyn I. Dioquino, Section Head of Accounts Management of Social Security System (SSS); Juanita Domogen of Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC); and Renand Hilomen representing PAG-IBIG Fund.

The presence of Engracio Baylon, Field Office Chief of the Department of Labor and Employment (Pangasinan), further lent importance to the occasion.

Rosales said that the fair offered 6,144 local job vacancies and 5,400 job opportunities overseas.

There was a turnout of more than 600 applicants, 114 of which got hired on the spot for local job position and 150 qualifying for overseas jobs.

Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao, in his inspirational message, recalled his campaign promise of lifting the people of Bayambang out of poverty, and he said that providing enough jobs is one way of fulfilling that promise. He said that part of his short-term employment program is initiating massive infrastructure projects, including the building of roads in the 77 barangays, and these are expected to generate emergency employment of construction workers. He said his long-term plan is to create an export economic zone so factories could be constructed to generate long-term jobs for his constituents.

He recalled that seven out 10 people in Bayambang are jobless, and he thought education is key in the fight against poverty. He said he would be teaming up with TESDA to launch a Skills Development Program. Mayor CTQ added that in November, the Open University of Polytechnic University of the Philippines will open its doors to applicants for Masters in Public Administration.

The Mega-Job Fair was open to Bayambang and non-Bayambang residents alike. (Bayambang PIO/Media Affairs)