FOR the first time, Lapu-Lapu City will host today the country’s 121st Independence Day celebration, which is expected to draw some 10,000 participants.
The activity at the Mactan Liberty Shrine will start with the raising of the flag at 8 a.m.
Lapu-Lapu City will also host one of the three local and overseas jobs fairs that will be held in the region as part of the celebration.
A total of 11,672 vacancies await jobseekers in Lapu-Lapu and in Bohol and Negros Oriental provinces, Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 Director Salome Siaton said in a statement.
Ian Christopher Alfonso, senior history researcher of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), said Lapu-Lapu City was chosen as the venue of this year’s celebration as part of the preparations for the 500th year celebration of the Battle of Mactan and the Christianization of the Philippines.
“It’s part of our efforts to raise awareness among Filipinos that there’s something we should look out for in two years’ time,” Alfonso said.
In a separate interview, Lapu-Lapu City’s tourism officer, Hembler Mendoza, said they expect 10,000 teachers, students, City Hall workers, government employees, Lapu-Lapu residents and tourists to join the activity.
On Tuesday, June 11, officials of the NHCP led the rehearsals for the Independence Day activities.
It will be a short but meaningful celebration, NHCP chairman Rene Escalante said in an earlier interview.
The raising and honoring of the Philippine flag with military honors and the singing of the national anthem will highlight the event.
The NHCP made sure that the height and diameter of the flag pole and the rope meet the commission’s standards, and that the flag measures 12 by 24 feet.
During the rehearsal, the NHCP officials also made sure that the military honors that will be led by the Philippine Air Force are properly executed.
The NHCP also disclosed that President Rodrigo Duterte will be represented by Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones.
Other attendees expected at today’s event are officials of the different government agencies and outgoing Lapu-lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza.
Meanwhile, the jobs fair in Lapu-Lapu City, which will be held at the Hoops Dome on Humay-Humay Road, will be patterned after the concept of Trabahao, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) Job and Business Fairs.
Under its employment component, 21 participating employers will entertain applicants for 7,090 vacancies. Of the number, 2,650 job orders are for local employment and about 4,440 are for overseas.
Siaton said common positions needed for local employment include customer service representatives, production workers, sales and marketing assistants, technical sales associates and electronic assemblers.
Vacancies posted for overseas employment are those for factory workers, cleaners, nurses, laborers and restaurant staff.
The Dole will also hire government interns under its Government Internship Program. The interns will be tasked to profile child laborers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities in Central Visayas.
For the Negosyo component, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will conduct a one-on-one business coaching and registration of Barangay Micro-Business Enterprise (BMBE) and Business Name in its Negosyo Center.
The DTI, in coordination with participating companies, will also hold the Diskwento Caravan, where discounted items such as school supplies, kitchenware, medicines and processed products will be sold.
Under the Livelihood or Kabuhayan component, beneficiaries of Dole’s livelihood assistance will be showcasing products at the fair. (From Fe Marie Dumaboc of Superbalita Cebu/LRC/With PR)