DMW, QC link up for 1st overseas job fair

MANILA – The Quezon City government, in partnership with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), on Friday held its first-ever overseas job fair for its residents.

Over 3,000 land-based and sea-based employment opportunities from various licensed recruitment agencies were offered during the job fair at Quezon City Hall Risen Garden.

Mayor Joy Belmonte said the goal of the overseas job fair is to provide numerous opportunities abroad for aspiring migrant workers while ensuring their well-being through safe, orderly, and fair migration.

“Sa pamamagitan ng DMW na nagbigay ng mga lehitimong recruitment agencies, mas protektado ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan na makikipagsapalaran sa abroad (Through the DMW, which provided legitimate recruitment agencies, the welfare of our countrymen who will venture abroad is better protected),” she said.

Meanwhile, the Migrant Resource Center (MRC) under the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) will also conduct an awareness campaign to encourage all those who aspire to work abroad to actively engage in the Pre-Migration Orientation Seminars.

Belmonte said the seminar is an initial intervention for future overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as they embark on their migration journey.

Pre-Migration Orientation Seminars prepare future migrants for the challenges that they will encounter abroad and help them better adapt to the new environment that they are about to face once they leave the country.

PESO manager Rogelio Reyes said the collaboration between the city government and the DMW is part of a memorandum of agreement signed earlier this year to strengthen the full protection, promotion, and realization of the rights of OFWs, particularly women, and their families.

The MOA also aims to develop further services and programs that are appropriate, effective, and efficient for residents who wish to work abroad, including those who are now working in another country.

The city government said a total of 598 applicants submitted their documents to the 19 recruitment agencies that participated in the job fair.

Among the positions offered for sea-based applicants include seaman, laundry attendant, bartender, carpenter, chef de partie, butcher, electrician, makeup specialist, wardrobe attendant, and steward, among others.

Meanwhile, destination countries for land-based applicants include Australia, Canada, Germany, Guam, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Latvia, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, and Qatar. (PNA)