ASIDE from emergency employment, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is ready to find more permanent jobs for workers displaced by the powerful quake that hit Northern Luzon on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said they stand ready to help displaced workers find employment in the wake of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake Wednesday.

“The activity will include referral, placement, and the conduct of job fairs in the region,” said Laguesma.

He said they will enlist the assistance of concerned Public Employment Services Offices (Pesos) in the affected regions for the undertaking.

"Other recovery measures will include employment facilitation through the Pesos," said Laguesma.

On Wednesday morning, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Abra and its neighboring provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley.

The tremor killed five people, injured hundreds of others, as well as damaged homes, public infrastructures, buildings, including churches, and heritage sites.

In response, the DOLE has activated its emergency employment program by tapping workers affected by the calamity for "light public works" in exchange for daily minimum wages. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)