Six jobseekers were hired almost immediately during the first day of the mega job fair spearheaded by the San Juan City local government and Greenhills (GH) Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 11, for San Juaneños who wish to be employed in the new establishments and businesses that will open at the mall in November.

(Photo from San Juan LGU)

Held at the Lifestyle Annex of GH Mall, the job fair was attended by San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, Vice Mayor Angelo Agcaoili and councilors Macky Mathay and Ervic Vijandre, and GH Mall officials lead by AVP and head of Mall Operations James Candelaria, Vice President and head of Ortigas Mall Arch. Renee Bacani, and officials from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

John Christian Baldorado, who was hired by Golden ABC as custodian/store OIC said, “The experience is amazing po kasi pwede na mag-start na agad ng work, magpa-process lang ng requirements, start na agad ng work. Mga two months na po [ako naghahanap ng work], buti may pa-job fair si mayor. Thank you kay Mayor Francis Zamora for bringing the job fair here in San Juan. Masaya kasi taga-rito lang ako sa San Juan tapos 'yung work dito lang rin sa San Juan (The experience is amazing because we can start working immediately. We just have to process some requirements and then we can officially start reporting for duty. I've been job hunting for two months already so it's great that mayor launched a job fair. Thank you Mayor Francis Zamora for bringing the job fair here in San Juan. I am really happy because I live here in San Juan and my work is also located here in San Juan)."

Two sales associates were also hired by Filbar’s. Jose Anthony Altoveros said, “Okay 'yung experience, masarap sa pakiramdam. Four months na rin ako naghahanap ng trabaho. Masaya ako natanggap ako dito right on the spot. Ang advantage is malapit. Unlike sa ibang in-apply-an kong job fair, malayo, dito hindi hassle sa biyahe (The experience is really great. I've been looking for work for four months already and I'm really happy to be hired here on the spot. The advantage here is the close distance between my work and my home. Unlike the other jobs that I've applied before which is located very far from home, here, it will no longer be an issue)."

“Sobrang saya po kasi first time ko pong makahanap ng trabaho na sobrang dali lang po. 'Yung trabaho na po mismo 'yung lalapit. Sobrang gaan po sa pakiramdam. Kasi 'yung iba, sobrang daming requirements tapos babalik ka pa bukas para sa ibang requirements. Maraming salamat po kay Mayor Francis Zamora sa programang ito, sa pagbibigay sa amin ng chance na makapagtrabaho po para magbago na po 'yung takbo ng buhay namin (I'm really happy because this is the first time I found a job easily. The location of my workplace is very near. Other employers are asking for a lot of requirements then they'll tell you to return tomorrow for additional documents. Thank you so much Mayor Francis Zamora for this program. Thank you for giving us a chance to have a job and change the course of our lives)," Randy Ricasio stressed.

Wiljohn Marinay stated his thoughts after being hired as a service worker for Sweet Ecstasy, “Okay siya kasi marami siyang job opportunities na binibigay. Pwede kang makapili saan ka babagay na trabaho, Pwede ka pumili kung about food, service o mechanics kaya maganda mag-apply ‘pag ganito. Para sa ‘kin, mas madali 'yung ganito 'yung may ine-endorse ng mayor 'yung mga ganito kasi mas mapapadali 'yung employment kasi maraming job opportunities sa iisang lugar. Kesa 'yung pupunta ka pa sa ibang jobs na hiwa-hiwalay kaya mahirapan ka pa kasi more on expense pa kasi transpo, gas (It's okay for me because they are offering a lot of job opportunities to us. We can choose what job we will take. There are opportunities in food, service, or mechanics, making it an efficient avenue for us to apply. For me, it's easier if the mayor endorses us to employers because it makes employment in an area much easier. Unlike other jobs that are far in between, making it much difficult for us due to travel expenses like fare and gas)."

Mirasol Escalante, a newly hired Keds cashier, also voiced her appreciation at how swift and efficient the process was.

Another applicant hired on the spot, Edward Combine, expressed his gratefulness to the city government and the mall for the job fair because now, he will be able to sustain the needs of his family after being jobless for eight months.

San Juaneño First Policy

The mayor explained that the city is fully implementing its “San Juaneño First Policy” Program. This means the city will prioritize providing jobs for its residents to increase its employment rate and allow them to afford better lives for their family and become contributing members of society.

“Prayoridad natin na magtrabaho sa San Juan ang mga San Juaneno. Gusto natin na ang magtrabaho sa kumpanya ninyo ay San Juaneño. Gusto natin na makatulong sa mamamayan (It's our priority to provide San Juaneños with jobs. We want San Juaneños to work in their companies. We want to help our residents," Zamora said.

"Kung ang iha-hire ninyo ay taga-San Juan, 'yung biyahe nila, maiksi lang. They will spend less for transportation, possibly even just walk so less expense for them, pati 'yung oras na igugugol nila. Kesa magtrabaho sila sa malayong lugar, kung dito sila sa Greenhills magtrabaho, mas may oras sila para sa kanilang pamilya, mas may oras magpahinga, that will make them efficient employees (If you're going to hire residents of San Juan, it would be an advantage for both the employee and the employer because their travel to and from work will be shorter. They will spend less for transportation, possibly even just walk, including their travel time. If they're working here in Greenhills, they can spend more time with their families and more time to rest, hence, making them much efficient employees)," he added.

A total of 62 companies from GH Mall joined the mega job fair from various establishments such as restaurants, retail stores, employment agencies, car accessories shops, jewelry stores, bookstores, banks, eyewear shops, and health and beauty clinics.

Candelaria welcomed the employers, applicants, and thanked the city officials saying, “GH Mall Management is grateful to its partnership with San Juan City led by Mayor Francis Zamora in providing opportunities and in promoting nation-building in the progressive city of San Juan. We can create more jobs here in the city of San Juan that will boost business and tourism.”

DOLE Director Beth Cagara expressed her optimism that many applicants will land a job.

“Nandito po tayo ngayon para magbigay ng disenteng trabaho para sa San Juaneño. Inaasahan po ng DOLE na sa araw na ito ay marami po tayong mabigyan ng trabaho at sana maraming “HOTS” o hired on the spot. Sapagkat bilang taga-DOLE, pangarap po natin na mabigyan ng disenteng trabaho ang mga tao (We are here today to provide decent work for San Juaneños. DOLE expects that a lot of people will land jobs and be "HOTS” or hired on the spot because we in DOLE want to provide decent work for everyone)," she said.

The mega job fair also has a one-stop shop for job seekers since partner agencies such as DOLE, Social Security System (SSS), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), PhilHealth, and PAGIBIG Fund also have their booths to provide assistance.

Meanwhile, the local government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) is also available to assist job seekers Mondays to Fridays at the San Juan City Hall. 

Part of their main program is to match the skillset of individuals to companies with job openings to help them land a decent job through the LGU's digital skills registry. This will also help companies get employees who are already vetted by the local government.

The second day of the mega job fair will be held on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.