For almost a year, Ms. Honey Lee Etabag, a resident of Lipa City, has been looking for a permanent job after coming home from Taiwan as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW).

So, as soon as the mall opened for jobseekers, Ms. Etabag immediately went to the Labor Day Job Fair at the 5th Floor Carpark of SM City Lipa.

The mall co-partnered with the Lipa City Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in realizing the job fair to provide employment opportunities to Batangueños.

“Hindi ko nga po ini-expect na sobrang dami po ng mag-a-apply ngayon. Medyo kabado po,” Ms. Etabag narrated.

Although a bachelor’s degree holder, Ms. Etabag admitted that landing a new work has been highly challenging especially during the onset of the pandemic.

But through the work opportunities from more than 40 companies available at the job fair, Ms. Etabag finally landed her new job after being hired-on-the-spot as a bank’s field officer.

“Very happy po ako ngayon kasi na-hire [na] po ako. For almost a year na po nag-a-apply ako, ang dami pong disappointments, frustrations pero at last po nahire na po ako,” she remarked.

Meanwhile, as early as eight o’clock in the morning, another early job fair attendee, Ms. Anna Luisa Carandang Mestio, also found a new career in the retail and trade industry by being hired-on-the-spot as a cashier.

“Masaya kasi nakapag-apply ako dito nang maayos. Na-hire ng on-the-spot. So, excited na magwork as cashier…Ngayon lang ako na-hire na on-the-spot. So, thank you so much po and Mabuhay po kayo,” Ms. Mestio uttered.

Aside from the job fair at SM City Lipa, the Calaca City PESO simultaneously organized another recruitment event held at their municipal gymnasium in celebration of the Labor Day and their Calacatchara Festival.

Hundreds of jobseekers joined the Labor Day activities of the City PESOs of Lipa and Calaca.

The Employment Unit of the DOLE - Batangas Provincial Office visited the job fairs conducted in both cities and answered queries of job seekers and employers regarding labor and employment matters.

by:

APRIL ROSE N. MAGPANTAY
LEO III