2 senior Guam senators visit Manila; offer 20,000 jobs for OFWs

A top level Guam Senate team visited the country last week to finalize details on the hiring of 20,000 Filipino skilled workers for the construction of military headquarters in Guam beginning July 2010, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.

Guam Senators Judith P. Guthertz and Rory J. Respicio held high level talks with Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque and Administrators Jennifer Manalili of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Carmelita Dimzon of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). The two legislators also met with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco.

Guthertz chairs the Guam legislature’s committee on Guam U.S. military buildup. She is also Guam’s homeland security assistant majority leader. Respicio chairs the Guam legislature committee on rules, natural resources, federal foreign and Micronesia affairs majority leader.

Roque said the visit of the Guam delegation to the country indicated Guam’s preference and intent to hire OFWs to meet its manpower requirements for the relocation and construction of U.S. military facilities from Okinawa to Guam in the next five years.

He said military construction in Guam is scheduled to start in July 2010, which means that hiring and deployment of OFWs to Guam could be simultaneous as construction begins or could even be earlier than July next year.

He said Guam would initially need engineers, architects, allied professionals, and skilled construction workers. But as military buildup continues coupled with the relocation of more military personnel and their families from Okinawa to Guam, it is envisioned that this island U.S territory may also hire OFWs in the service and healthcare sectors.

In view of the bright prospects for OFWs in Guam, Roque said the DOLE and POEA have specified an action agenda for the deployment of OFWs to Guam. On top of the agenda are the adoption of a standard employment contract and the setting up of guidelines on the deployment of Guam-bound OFWs.

POEA is expected to come up with the standard contract and deployment guidelines before the year ends, in accordance with U.S. laws which include the U.S. H2B rule prohibiting the charging of recruitment fee from foreign workers.

Roque said OFWs wanting to work in Guam should be wary of recruiters who may charge them fees, which is a violation of U.S. laws. He reiterated his calls on OFWs to check first with POEA the veracity of overseas job offers and to report to the authorities recruiters charging prohibitive recruitment fees.

Source: DOLE

In celebration of Labor Day: More than 20,000 jobseekers register for JOBapalooza ’09

More and more new graduates and jobseekers are riding on the wave of opportunity by registering with the country’s biggest jobs fair dubbed “Tayo Na! Trabaho Na! JOBapalooza ’09″ Labor Day approaches, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today reported.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said that based on the latest DOLE preliminary report, more than 20,603 jobseekers have already registered for JOBapalooza ’09, which shall be held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City on May 1, 2009.

More than 1,000 local firms and overseas recruiters would offer more than 250,000 productive job opportunities to new graduates and jobseekers.

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:45 a.m., the main Labor Day program will commence at 9:00 a.m. at the SMX Hall, followed by the launching of the DOLE Hotline and the reading of Labor Day Manifesto, and the awarding of livelihood and training certificates/vouchers to disadvantaged sectors and workers under various DOLE and government thrusts (WIN AP, DOLE-AMP, Phil-Health, Ye-Ye, PGS, and OWWA).

Simultaneously, a Livelihood Display and Sale, complemented by entrepreneurship slideshows, training/livelihood seminars, and medical missions, will proceed in the area from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The day will be capped by the launch of Hatid Saya (Alay sa Manggagawang Pinoy sa Ibayong Dagat) courtesy of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Trade Unions concert, a spectacular fireworks display in honor of the Filipino worker, and finally, the JOBapalooza ’09 Concert dubbed “Alay sa Manggagawang Pilipino” featuring Gary Valenciano and Rivermaya.

Roque said that JOBapalooza ’09 is a collective offering of the Philippine Labor Movement comprising the country’s labor federations and the country’s Three Plus (3+) Social Partners (which include management, government and other sectors). He cited the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Philippine Transport and General Workers Organization (PTGWO), All Workers Alliance Trade Union (AWATU), Trade Union of the Philippines and Allied Services (TUPAS), Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW), Philippine Organization of Labor Unions (POLU), and Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), for presenting the Labor Day jobs fair in partnership with major sponsors Globe, Banco de Oro (BDO), SM Shoemart, PHIL-JobNet (www.phil-job.net), JobStreet.com, STI, Philippine Online Chronicles (POC), the City Government of Manila, and the City Government of Pasay City, as well as the DOLE’s National Capital Region (NCR) Office, which is supervising the event.

As this developed, the DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) continues to encourage new graduates and jobseekers to avail of the available opportunities by registering for the JOBapalooza ’09 using the Internet links at http://www.phil-job.net, or the DOLE’s website at http://www.dole.gov.ph. Walk-in applicants are also welcome at the SMX on the Labor Day itself.

Roque emphasized that on top of the main”Tayo Na! Trabaho Na! JOBapalooza ’09,” more job/livelihood fairs will highlight the nationwide Labor Day celebrations in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao areas under the supervision of the DOLE Regional Offices (ROs), at the following tentative venues on May 1, 2009: Region I (Ilocos Region) – SM Rosales, Pangasinan; Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) – Baguio Convention Center/SM Baguio Job Fair; Region II (Cagayan Valley) – Paseo Real, Tuguegarao City (job/trade/livelihood fair) and Faustino L. Dy Gymnasium, Cauayan City (registration of professionals); Region III (Central Luzon) — Pampanga (SM City Pampanga, SM City Clark, SM City Baliuag, and SM City Marilao); Region IV-A (CALABARZON) – SM Sta. Rosa (livelihood fair); Region V (Bicol Region) – SM Naga City; Region VI (Western Visayas) – Robinson’s Place, and Gaisano City, both in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Region VII (Central Visayas) – Cebu City Sports Complex (overseas fair), SM City Cebu Jobs Fair, Provincial Capitol (local fair); Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) – ZC Golden Boys Grille, Nunez Extension, Zamboanga City; Region X (Northern Mindanao) – SM Cagayan de Oro City; Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) – Kidapawan City Gymnasium, South Seas Complex, and KCC Mall of General Santos City; and CARAGA Region – Luciano Convention Center, GP Rosales St., Butuan City.

Good news to more Filipinos and aspiring OFWs new or experienced. It has been confirmed that Qatar has 100000 more jobs open for Filipino workers. The meeting took place in Bohol which confirmed the job opportunity. More info below:

DOLE, Qatar labor officials meet in Bohol; confirm more than 100,000 jobs for OFWs in Qatar

Labor officials from the Philippines and Qatar convened the 1st RP-Qatar Joint Committee Meeting in Bohol recently to strengthen bilateral labor relations and opportunities for both countries, specifically the availability of more than 100,000 jobs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Qatar, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said officials from the two countries discussed the ratification of the Additional Protocol to the RP-Qatar Agreement Concerning Filipino Manpower Employment in Qatar, which the country entered into with the Qatari government in 1997 to provide for the deployment and welfare protection for OFWs in Qatar.

Roque said the two delegations also discussed the employment prospects for OFWs in Qatar. He said Qatar approved a total of 296,787 work visas for OFWs between October 2008 to March 2009 out of which about 190,000 were already filled up, indicating that over 100,000 work visas are still available for OFWs.

The DOLE Chief said that about 85 % of the available jobs for OFWs in the Qatar requires technical and highly-skilled workers in the construction sector.

The Philippine delegation was composed of DOLE Undersecretary Arturo L. Sodusta, Deputy Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Director Albert Q. Valenciano of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Labor Attaché Vivo V. Vidal.

The Qatar delegation was headed by Deputy Minister Hussain Yousuf Al-Mulla of the Ministry of Labour (MOL) with other MOL officials, namely, Director Khalid Al-Hayder of the Department of International Relations, Mr. Saleh Al-Khaldi of the Legal Department, and Mr. Ibrahim Al-Hail of the Public Relations Department, as members.

The two delegations also agreed to address illegal recruitment and excessive charging of fees by recruitment agencies by actively exchanging needed information involving such cases especially those involving household service workers.

Along this line, Roque said the DOLE proposed that OFWs be required exit clearance prior to their deployment to Qatar as preventive measure against the illegal recruitment of workers to this country.

The DOLE, he added, would also submit its training proposal to the Qatari government for the latter’s cooperation and assistance in training OFWs in line with efforts to ensure adequate supply of skilled workers for manpower requirements of employers in this country.

Meanwhile, the Qatari delegation explained Qatar’s new Sponsorship law. The law provides that in proven cases of abuse of workers such as those involving maltreatment, physical abuse, and non-payment of wages, Qatar’s MOL or its Ministry of Interior or the labor court can allow the workers to transfer to other employers.

If a Filipino worker filed a case in the labor court and the regular court, his/her employer cannot send the worker back the Philippines until the pending claims of the worker are settled.

source: Information and Publication Service