Close to 500 applicants attended the day-long Manila Public Employment Services (PESO) Job Fair that was held at The Tent of the Manila Hotel on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022.

Manila PESO Director Fernan Bermejo led the staging of the job fair, which was held in collaboration with the Manila Bulletin and The Manila Hotel.

Bermejo, who is also executive assistant to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna for labor and employment, hailed the success of the job fair, which welcomed applicants not only from Manila, but nearby cities as well.

“Our challenge is to support business and industry now on the rebound to find their needed human resources, and, at the same time, help job seekers in their pursuit of a good career and future,” said MB Head of Human Resources and External Affairs Manager Barbie Atienza.

Atienza added that the “job fair contributes to the country’s economic development”.

“We believe this is a noble service to the community,” he noted.

Also gracing the job fair was Manila Hotel President Jose Lina, who joined Bermejo, Atienza, and MB Senior Head of Advertising Ruben Bulaong during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Aside from Manila Bulletin and Manila Hotel, other participating companies in the job fair included UnionBank, Tim Hortons, LServ, Vikings, EuroMed, the Probe Group, and PhilTrust Bank.

It was noted that many of the job seekers were recent or fresh graduates, who were able to choose jobs from a wide spectrum of businesses and industries present at the job fair.

And in the organizers’ desire to comply with health protocols, applicants were asked to pre-register online where they were provided specific time slots to come to the venue. This ensured that social distancing was observed with a limited number of applicants entertained at The Tent at any given time.