MALOLOS CITY (PIA) – A total of 235 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Bulacan were hired on the spot (HOTS) during the Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas job fair held at Bulacan State University.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), opened 2,604 job vacancies during the event, which catered to around 1,800 4Ps beneficiaries.
Jose Conrado Domingo of Barangay San Pablo in the City of Malolos, Bulacan, one of the hired-on-the-spots (HOTS) during the ‘Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas’ Fair for the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) held at Bulacan State University, says he is thankful for being one of the HOTS as this will help him resume his studies and finish his education. (Vinson F. Concepcion/PIA-3)
The fair is part of a nationwide initiative directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to provide sustainable employment opportunities to low-income families.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Lague stressed that one of the particular directives of the president is to ensure that 4Ps family beneficiaries shall not return to ‘chains of poverty’.
Each hired beneficiary received P5,000 from DOLE’s Employment Assistance Fund to help cover expenses such as appropriate working clothes, shoes, and other job-related necessities.
One of the HOTS beneficiaries, Jose Conrado Domingo of Barangay San Pablo in the City of Malolos, was hired by a local poultry firm.
He shared the securing employment is a significant milestone that will help him earn a sustainable income and eventually resume his studies.
In addition to job matching, DOLE facilitated services to help 4Ps beneficiaries obtain necessary employment documents such as from the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), PAG-IBIG Fund, in support of the implementation of Republic Act 11962 or the Trabaho para sa Bayan Act.
Laguesma urged newly-hired beneficiaries to value their jobs as these represent opportunities to improve their lives, especially as they transition out of the 4Ps.
Implemented in 2007 and institutionalized through Republic Act 11310 in 2019, the 4Ps is the national government’s flagship poverty alleviation program. It provides conditional cash transfers to poor households, requiring children to maintain at least 85 percent school attendance and mandating regular health center visits for all members, including pregnant mothers.
Meanwhile, DSWD Undersecretary for Conditional Cash Transfer Vilma Cabrera encouraged 4Ps beneficiaries to explore alternative sources of livelihood through the Sustainable Livelihood Program, which aims to further enhance their economic independence. (MJSC/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)
