THE Department of Information and Communications Technology–Davao Region (DICT-Davao) opened the 10th National ICT Month celebration with a job fair on June 9, bringing together 13 business process outsourcing (BPO) companies to help address the region's growing demand for digital workers and support a national goal of generating 8 million jobs by 2028.
The event, held at SM City Davao in Quimpo Boulevard, Davao City, highlighted the increasing need to connect available talents with employment opportunities in the digital sector, which includes BPO employees, IT professionals, software developers, digital service providers, and other workers whose jobs rely on information and communications technology.
DICT-Davao Regional Director Evamay Dela Rosa said the region's digital workforce reached approximately 85,000 full-time workers in 2025, reflecting the continued expansion of the industry.
Despite the sector's growth, Dela Rosa said many employers struggle to find workers while potential applicants remain unaware of available positions.
“Na-identify natin na ang ating mga BPO companies, marami silang needs for digital workforce. Yung mga digital workforce naman, hindi nila alam na may ganitong vacancies pala,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with SunStar Davao.
(We have identified that our BPO companies have a lot of needs for a digital workforce. On the other hand, the digital workforce doesn’t know that these kinds of vacancies actually exist.)
She said job fairs help close that gap by bringing employers and job seekers together in one venue.
“By bringing them together here, we’re able to bridge the gap [between] yung pangangailangan ng ating employers at pangangailangan ng job seekers. This will really help our economy,” Dela Rosa added.
(By bringing them together here, we’re able to bridge the gap between the needs of our employers and the needs of job seekers. This will really help our economy.)
Elizabeth O. Badilles, Information Technology Officer I at DICT-Davao and team leader of the National ICT Month Job Fair and Kick-off Ceremony, said the initiative also contributes to efforts to reduce unemployment.
“Dito, makita nila ang mga job hirings, mga vacancies. So if they will be hired, then minus one na from the unemployed na nasa list,” Badilles said.
(Here, they can see the job hirings and vacancies. So if they get hired, that is already a minus one from the unemployed on the list)
She said the department's employment and digital transformation initiatives align with its broader mission of creating jobs nationwide.
“DICT as a whole, the department itself, is actually aiming [for] 8 million jobs by 2028 na ma-generate. Yan ang mission namin. That's why we are really promoting these job fairs, all these opportunities, and initiatives that could really generate jobs,” Badilles added.
The job fair's impact was immediately evident when 25-year-old Key Peter B. Palanca became the first applicant hired on the spot.
Palanca secured a customer service representative position at Nadela Business Center, Inc. (SiBS), making the event his first successful job fair experience despite having worked several jobs previously.
“This is my first time. I'm so happy that I was hired on the spot,” Palanca said.
He attributed his success to remaining calm and confident during the interview process.
“Just keep stable, be confident. Don't think about your grammar. Keep your composure,” Palanca noted.
He also said job fairs make the job search process easier and less costly for applicants.
“This job fair made [it] easy for job seekers, since there are multiple employers in one place. You will not go from one place to another, and you will save money from commuting,” he added.
For employers, the event also provided an efficient recruitment platform.
SiBS Human Resources Talent Acquisition officer Anja Lindo said Palanca's previous call center experience and communication skills helped him stand out during the hiring process.
“He has a call center experience already. And I think he has good communication skills as well since he is applying for a BPO company. The communication skills, as well as how good he answers, or the way he relays his thought organization, that's one of the factors why I hired him on the spot,” Lindo explained.
Lindo said job fairs remain valuable recruitment venues for BPO companies that continuously seek new employees.
“It's very important, especially that we, in the BPO industry, are always hiring. If ever we are partnered with this kind of job fairs, we gather a lot of applicants as well as people. It's also important because we can fill in people that we need,” Lindo concluded.
Badilles said seeing the first hire-on-the-spot applicant underscored the significance of the event.
“I was like teary-eyed when we had the first hire-on-the-spot because that could change the life of that person. So our job fair becomes an avenue for that person na ma-change yung life niya, in terms of financial stability,” she said.
The job fair marked the opening of National ICT Month 2026, which will feature a month-long lineup of activities promoting digital innovation, technology adoption, and workforce development across the region.
A separate job fair organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) is scheduled for Friday at the same venue. FRANCES KIM CACHILA/ADDU, SUNSTAR INTERN
