SM City Bacolod hosted the biggest of three job fairs held in the city from Sept. 12 to 14, matching 53 companies to 2,640 applicants in the Handog ng Pangulo job fair organized by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Bacolod yesterday.
Held at the mall’s main atrium, 49 applicants were hired-on-the-spot (HOTS) while more than 7,000 local and overseas job openings were made available to jobseekers. Across the three job fairs, about 10,000 employment opportunities were offered.
The three-day series began Sept. 12, with the 3rd Quarter job fair organized by PESO Bacolod at Robinsons Place. The event drew 1,052 applicants and 32 HOTS from 20 participating companies.
On Sunday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Negros Island Region, in partnership with PESO Negros Occidental, held a Handog ng Pangulo job fair at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, attracting 438 applicants. Twenty companies participated, with 12 applicants hired on the spot.
The activities formed part of “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat” program, a nationwide government initiative bringing services and opportunities closer to communities, with the local activities held in celebration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s birthday.
Executive assistant and PESO manager Jovelyn Canoy-Datoon said the city hopes that the continuing employment initiatives will help more residents find suitable livelihood and job opportunities.
“We hope that through these job fairs, more Bacolodnons and Negrosanons will be given opportunities to find jobs and improve their livelihood. Providing employment opportunities is a continuing effort of PESO under the leadership of Mayor Greg Gasataya, and we will continue to bring these opportunities closer to our jobseekers,” Canoy-Datoon said.
The three job fairs underscored the continuing collaboration among DOLE, PESO, the employers, and private-sector venues in expanding access to employment.
Bacolod also hosted other Handog ng Pangulo activities, including rice distribution in Barangay Mansilingan, benefitting more than 3,000 senior citizens, and an Uplift payout at SM City Bacolod, where more than 2,000 beneficiaries received monetary assistance. ||
