Some 3,000 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries from 11 towns in Pangasinan participated in the ‘Trabaho para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ job fair held in Dagupan City on Friday (April 25).

As of press time, 117 4Ps members were hired-on-the-spot (HOTS) by employers invited by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera of the Conditional Cash Transfer Group (CCTG) and DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma were present to welcome the 4Ps members to the job fair.

In her message, Undersecretary Cabrera said: “Ang Trabaho Caravan ay isa sa mga inisyatibo ng pamahalaan upang tulungan ang mga 4Ps beneficiaries sa kanilang paglabas sa programa. Ang programang ito ay makatutulong upang magkaroon sila ng iba pang oportunidad na para sa kanilang tuloy tuloy na pag-unlad.”

Undersecretary Cabrera underscored that the job fair caravan for 4Ps members is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Jr. for government agencies to work together in providing adequate and appropriate assistance to help beneficiaries who are graduating from the 4Ps program sustain their state of self-sufficiency.

According to the DSWD official, the HOTS are also expected to be provided with pre-employment assistance subject to the assessment of the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

A total of 17 employers participated in the job fair, which also featured various programs of the DOLE such as the Special Program for the Employment of Students, Government Internship Program (GIP), and the JobStart Philippines Program.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) were among the agencies that participated in the ‘Trabaho para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ job fair in Pangasinan, making their respective services available to the 4Ps beneficiaries.