Punto Central Luzon General Manager delivers a short speech during the program.
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – With no minimum wage hike to announce on Labor Day yesterday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Central Luzon instead awarded some P6.8 million in livelihood grants to a total of 5,464 groups and individuals in the region.
DOLE Regional Information Officer Jerry Borja said the recipients included union members, ambulant vendors, women’s groups, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) graduates and persons with disabilities.
The P6.8 million was granted in the form of the so-called Negosyo sa Kariton (Nego-Kart), Kabuhayan Starter Kits and Workers Income Augmentation (WIN-AP) programs.
Borja said that under the Nego-Kart project, each beneficiary received a vending cart, livelihood tools and raw materials worth P10,000.
On the other hand, the starter kits contained tools and materials that to allow recipients to engage in various roving businesses such as massage, plumbing, cosmetology, appliance repair, upholstery, rag making, embutido making, hair dressing and manicure and pedicure.
Borja also said that apart from the karts and kits, the beneficiaries are also set to be trained on entrepreneurship and business management.
“Their respective local government units also provide their counterpart assistance in the form of additional tools and trainings and initial payment of their Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) premiums, Borja added.
He also said that under WIN-AP, worker’s unions are assisted in various ways to augment family incomes.
“WIN-AP not only benefits the union members financially through dividend-sharing but it likewise provides employment to their relatives and easy affordable payment schemes in the form of salary deduction,” he explained.
Meanwhile, up to 10,000 local and overseas careers in business process outsourcing, retail, service and manufacturing industries were opened to applicants in the 110th Labor Day job fairs held simultaneously in various parts of Central Luzon, Borja also said.
He said the job fairs, with the theme “Pagtutulungan, Pagbabago, Disenteng Trabaho”, were held in the People’s Center in Balanga City; Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac City; Provincial Capitol Compound in Cabanatuan City; Provincial Capitol Grounds in Iba, Zambales; and the event center of SM Malls in Marilao; Baliwag; Pampanga; Clark; Tarlac and Olongapo.
A total of 360 companies participated in the job fairs, including 254 which are Philippine-based.
Borja said the regional office had expected that at least 15 percent of the applicants would be hired on the spot.
DOLE Region-3 Director Raymundo G. Agravante leads the ribbon cutting during the opening of the jobs fair dubbed "Pagtutulungan, Pagbabago, Disenteng Trabaho" on Tuesday (May 1).
Oath-taking of officers of the Central Luzon Career Guidance Coaching Network.
Hundreds of job applicants line up for interview.
