ALMOST 105,000 jobseekers have been hired in Central Luzon through the help of the regional Department of Labor and Employment in the region (DOLE 3), and Central Luzon Public Employment Service Offices (Peso).
DOLE-3 Regional Director Zenaida Angara-Campita reported to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III that a total of 104,786 jobseekers were hired within the first seven months of the year.
Angara-Campita's report was presented during the recent Peso mid-year performance assessment (MYPA) held at Royce Hotel in Clark.
The assessment activity, attended by 126 Peso managers and personnel from 88 Peso offices in Central Luzon, not only measured Peso’s scorecards but also addressed the gaps in the attainment of remaining targets for the year.
Other highlights of the three-day Peso MYPA include the capacity building/ skills development training for Peso personnel facilitated by Ian Ticar, Senior Labor and Employment Officer of Bureau of Labor and Employment (BLE), regional assessment of National Skills Registration Program (NSRP), Peso Central Luzon Election of Officers, fellowship night, and Peso Business Hour.
"Peso Central Luzon is known as a high performing group of employment implementers, and for the first half of 2019, our accomplishment still magnifies that. We are a home of hall of famers," Angara-Campita said.
"Through the years, our Pesos’ work remains commendable, and we, in the Department, are grateful for your valuable contribution to the promotion of employment opportunities. Still, we work on continuously improving and capacitating our implementers as they bridge our employment programs to the grassroots," she added.
DOLE Technical Support and Services Division for Employment and Welfare head Alejandro Inza Cruz reported that the 104,786 hired jobseekers constitute 93 percent placement rate of 113,198 applicants for local and overseas employment. According to him, this can be attributed to various employment facilitation activities such as the 62 job fairs conducted by PESOs hand in hand with DOLE.
Apart from the high placement rate on the Public Employment Service program, Labor statistician Lyka Serrano also disclosed accomplishments on other employment programs.
These include Special Education for Students (SPES) program where some 2,532 youth beneficiaries have graduated from senior high school, tech-voc, or college courses. Prior to graduation, the program provided short-term employment opportunities to these deserving students as a way to augment their family’s income.
Meanwhile, some 1,926 marginalized individuals were given livelihood grant for their entrepreneurial ventures through DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) while another 4,042 were provided 10 to 30-day temporary employment through Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged Workers Program (TUPAD).
DOLE 3 and Central Luzon Pesos look forward to the upcoming 2019 Peso Congress to be held in Bacolod City on October 9 to 11, 2019.