Bringing job opportunities closer to the people of CamSur

By Charen Vera Every May 1st the country celebrates National Labor Day, commemorating our laborers and their hard work. As a way of celebration, many companies and local government units hold job fairs. Prior to Labor Day, the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur through the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) has conducted multiple job fairs, both school and community-based, and has opened opportunities for the job seekers in the province. On April 30, the CamSur PESO conducted a job fair in the municipality of Pasacao. Ten local and 10 overseas companies were present in the event offering about 7,000 job vacancies. More than 150 hopeful applicants took the opportunity to apply and some of them were even hired on the spot. “I graduated college three years ago and was able to work in DSWD but only after three months I had to stop because I got pregnant,” shared 22-year old Abigael Villanueva, one of the applicants. “I will be applying for cashier or any administrative work, but I am willing to take any job that fits my qualification,” added Villanueva. The abovementioned was just one of the many community-based job fairs conducted by PESO to achieve their goal of bringing job opportunities closer to people. Community-based job fairs are truly helpful to applicants especially those who live far from the city because then, they no longer have to spend time and money applying and touring from one company to another. Aside from this, conventional job hunting limits the job seekers capacity to apply to one to three companies a day only. “Applying for a job becomes easier and more convenient because the companies come to us instead of us going to them. Here, we just have to go from one table to another and not from one company location to another which is what would have happened if not for this job fair,” expressed Cris Solas, 21 years old. Many graduating students also aim to find jobs right after graduation. This is why the CamSur PESO also held school-based job fairs in different universities and colleges in the province. They conducted these in Partido State University in Goa last March 5, where over a hundred applicants joined; then in Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua last March 16, where hundreds of graduating and walk-in applicants participated; and in Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) in Pili last April 3, where more than 300 applicants tried their luck and 68 fortunate ones where hired on the spot. “As a graduating student, I want to start working as soon as possible and with this job fair, I, and the rest of the job seekers here, have more chances of finding one,” shared Reymar Marpuri, 22 years old, a graduating student of CBSUA. The school-based job fair may have aimed to provide job opportunities to newly graduate applicants, but it also catered to walk-in applicants from each municipalities. “I want to thank the CamSur PESO and, of course, Governor Migz Villafuerte. I know that just like me, the residents here are really grateful because even though we are far from capitol, they never forget to help us,” said Jonel Nacion, 29 years old. Every job fair that the CamSur PESO conducts is a tribute to all the laborers and their diligence. The provincial government vows to hold more job fairs bringing more job opportunities to the people of Camarines Sur in the coming days.