BAGUIO CITY —Eighty one (81) applicants were Hired-On-The-Spot (HOTS) after braving the strong morning rain to join the hundreds of job seekers to the 2018 Kalayaan Day Jobs.

Department of Labor and Employment – Cordillera OIC Regional Director Exequiel Ronie A. Guzman said of the total of seven hundred twenty (720) jobseekers, 81 were HOTS, five hundred nine (509) near hire applicants for local employment while one hundred forty eight (148) are near hires for various overseas employment.

“Near hire applicants are those who need to process prerequisite documents like certification needed to complete the hiring process and final interview of top management or the near hire applicant needs to submit additional documents to be officially hired by the company.” Guzman added.

The job fair was held at the and Livelihood Fair held at the Sky Zone of the Porta Vaga Mall along Upper Session Road, Baguio City where a total 5,953 job vacancies is for grabs of which 1,300 are for local jobs and 4,653 were for job placement overseas.

A total of seventeen (17) local companies and four (4) overseas recruitment agencies converged at the Porta Vaga Sky Zone to offer job vacancies under one roof, sparing the jobseekers from too many expenses.

“We in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) express its gratitude to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and to all the participating partner agencies like TESDA, POEA, OWWA, PagIbig, PhilHealth, BJMP and the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) of the City Government of Baguio and other agencies for their support and supported usto facilitate the employment of jobseekers and provided various services to our workers,” Guzman added.

He also said there will be more job applicants expected to get employed even months after the job fair as some six hundred seventy one (671) job seekers are qualified job applicants needing further interview.

Aside from employment facilitation, the job fair at the UB Gym also featured one-stop-shop for government services. A booth in celebration of the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) were brochures on the Philippine Program of Child Labor (PPACL) and 2018 WDACL were given to the public. Aside from that, there were also reading materials on DOLE Programs and Services, brochures from the POEA, OWWA, PRC, OSHC, ECC, NRCO,PRC, TESDA, RTWPB, NCMB, NLRC, Philhealth, SSS and Pag-IBIG for both jobseekers and the public. Brochures and other information materials on these government agencies’ programs and services were distributed and posted for the public to know. /Patrick T Rillorta