THE Department of Labor and Employment–Davao Region (Dole-Davao) opened 2,300 job vacancies from 30 local employers and two overseas employers during the 2026 Trabaho Agad Job Fair at the SM City Davao Annex on Thursday, June 12, 2026, as part of the country's 128th Independence Day celebration.
As of 12:30 p.m. on the same date, Dole-Davao recorded 732 registered applicants.
Dole-Davao Regional Director Atty. Randolf Pensoy said the fair was designed to make employment opportunities accessible not only to college graduates but also to high school graduates, senior high school graduates, college undergraduates, and other groups that often face barriers to employment.
“We are especially pleased that this job fair caters not only to college graduates, but also to high school and senior high school graduates. Available opportunities include positions in customer service, retail, logistics, food service, and many other industries, making employment more accessible to a wide range of job seekers,” Pensoy said.
The job fair forms part of the department's continuing efforts to sustain high employment levels in the region by connecting workers directly with employers.
“Among gusto, ang employment rate mutaas. So far karon, 95.2 percent. Mas taas ang niagi kaysa karon. Pero atong paningkamutan na dili ta mubaba og 90 percent ang atong employment rate. Kung mutaas ang unemployment rate, pangit man gud tan-awon na daghan ang walay mga trabaho,” Pensoy said.
(What we want is for the employment rate to increase. So far, right now, it is at 95.2 percent. It was higher before compared to now. But we will do our best to ensure our employment rate does not drop below 90 percent. If the unemployment rate increases, it just doesn't look good that many people are jobless.)
The fair also attracted applicants from sectors targeted by government employment programs, including senior high school (SHS) graduates, persons with disabilities (PWDs), displaced and repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, and Indigenous Peoples (IPs).
As of 12:30 p.m., 59 applicants had already been hired on the spot.
Success stories on-the-spot
Among those who secured employment opportunities was 20-year-old first-time job seeker Denise Giluani, a BS Medical Technology undergraduate who was hired on the spot by three companies.
She was accepted as a sales clerk at Sports Central (Manila), Inc., a production crew member at Monde Nissin Corporation, and a service crew member at Wizzard Manpower and Allied Services, Inc.
Giluani said the job fair simplified what is often a lengthy application process.
“Happy sa feeling kay wala nako nagspend ug whole day para lang sa initial interview tapos magwait napug final interview. Satisfying kaayo pag-uli karon (It’s a happy feeling because I didn't have to spend a whole day just for the initial interview, only to have to wait again for the final interview. Going home today will be satisfying),” she said.
For Giluani, getting hired also means helping ease her family's financial burden.
“Mas maka-help siya sa financial needs namo kay mas maless ang burden sa akong parents. Able naman ko na makahatag sa ilaha, bahalag ginagmay (It will really help with our financial needs because it lessens the burden on my parents. I'm now able to give to them, even if it's just a little bit),” she said.
She said she is still weighing which offer to accept.
“Naglibog ko as of now kay naga-weigh pa ko asa sa ilaha ang naay great benefits (I am confused as of now because I am still weighing which of them offers great benefits),” Giluani said.
As an undergraduate with a healthcare background, Giluani said employers frequently asked whether she intended to return to school.
“Daghan silag questions sa akuang background kay more on healthcare man gud akuang background. Mostly mangutana sila if naa ba koy will na mupadayun ug skwela,” she said, adding that she currently has no plans of returning due to outstanding school balances and household expenses.
(They had a lot of questions about my background because my background is more on healthcare. Mostly, they ask if I have the will to continue studying)
Giluani welcomed the fair's openness to applicants regardless of educational attainment.
“Mas nindot kay mas less na ang mga tao na maging tambay like me. Ganahan ko, nice siya. Daghan ug agency na dili lang professionals ang gina-hire as long as maningkamot lang jud,” she said.
(It’s better because there will be fewer people who end up becoming a ‘tambay’ like me. I like it, it’s nice. There are many agencies that don't just hire professionals, as long as you really work hard)
Another 20-year-old college undergraduate, Ken Esmeralda, was hired on the spot by Wizzard Manpower and Allied Services, Inc. as a service crew member.
“Important kaayo ni sa akua para maka-help ko sa akong family and also sa akong sarili, and para makapalit ko sa akong mga needs, kung unsay mga kinahanglan nako (This is very important to me so that I can help my family and also myself, and so that I can buy my needs, whatever it is that I need),” Esmeralda said.
He encouraged fellow job seekers to remain persistent in their search.
“Don’t give up, try and try lang gyud hantud sa makakita gyud kag work. Ayaw lang gyud ug give-up (Don’t give up, just keep trying and trying until you finally find a job. Just really don’t give up),” he said.
Employers likewise highlighted the value of job fairs in streamlining recruitment and expanding their reach to qualified applicants.
Wizzard Manpower and Allied Services Branch Officer-in-Charge Jhona Mae Pamelgan said successful applicants were accepted based on their actual qualifications rather than their educational attainment alone.
“Qualified sila sa amuang mga qualifications. Ginadawat man namo, basta qualified lang sila (They are qualified based on our qualifications. We do accept them, as long as they are qualified),” Pamelgan explained.
She added that job fairs allow employers to conduct more face-to-face interviews in a single day compared to regular walk-in applications.
“Kung walk-in sa office, dili tanan mainterview kay need magschedule. Pero kani kay whole day jud siya, and klase-klase ang among [makita] na mga tao na fit samong qualifications,” she noted.
(If it’s a walk-in at the office, not everyone gets interviewed because they need to schedule it. But with this event, it’s a whole-day thing, and we get to see a wide variety of people who fit our qualifications)
Pensoy described the immediate hiring outcomes as a major success for applicants, employers, and the department alike.
“It’s an accomplishment, not only for the job applicant, it’s not only an accomplishment for the employers. Dako pud nang garbo ug dungog sa atuang departamento ug sa atuang programa. It is a blessing, it is a pride, at the same time a success for everyone working on it,” Pensoy said.
(It’s an accomplishment, not only for the job applicant, but also for the employers. It is also a great source of pride and honor for our department and our program. It is a blessing, it is a pride, at the same time a success for everyone working on it)
Pensoy added that the department remains committed to ensuring that more Filipinos gain access to decent and meaningful work.
“Together, we pursue our shared goal of helping every worker achieve ‘kalaayan sa kahirapan’ through decent work, fair wages, and sustained opportunities for growth,” he said.
Beyond the job fair, the Independence Day event also featured a Kadiwa ng Pangulo pavilion showcasing products from local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), alongside a government one-stop shop providing various public services directly to attendees. FRANCES KIM CACHILA/ADDU, SUNSTAR INTERN
