Sep 17, 2023

Sep 17, 2023 02:45 PM More than 50 companies, including export-oriented enterprises, are hiring over 4,000 workers to fill up vacancies at their factories. The job vacancies were jointly announced by city government of Santo Tomas, Batangas and Lopez-led First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP). In a statement, the listed down the vacancies, numbering up to 4,184 were presented during two “Sulong Buhay Job Fairs” they jointly conducted recently at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) campus in Santo Tomas City. The organizers divided the job fairs into two events---one for interested PUP graduates in Batangas; and the other, for all Santo Tomas residents, as well as the general public. Of the total vacancies, roughly a third or 1,089 were jobs for overseas deployment, while the bulk of 3,095 were open jobs of local companies. Of the local vacancies, 1,113 were employment needs of FPIP locators. The participating FPIP locators were Arkray Industries Phils. Inc., Brother Industries Phils. Inc., Canon Business Machines Phils. Inc., Citizen Finedevice Phils. Corp., EMD Technologies Phils. Inc., Ibiden Phils. Inc., Kanepackage Phils. Inc., My Brush Technology Phil Inc., Nippon Premium Bakery Inc., Phils. Manufacturing Co. Of Murata Inc., Shi Manufacturing and Services Phils. Inc., Shimano Phils. Inc., and United Services Akcess Inc. Among their employment needs were engineers, accountants, psychologists, office supervisors, human resource personnel and production operators. “My administration’s top policy is providing access to decent jobs for Tomasinos and Batanguenos. Industries and locators in the ecozones have significantly contributed to the continued success of my administration’s core agenda of providing decent jobs for Tomasinos,” said Santo Tomas Mayor Arth Jhun Aguilar Marasigan in a statement. Vice Mayor Catherine “Cathy” Jaurigue-Perez, for her part said: “The job recruitment initiatives of the city government of Santo Tomas have shown that investors such as ecozones, locators, and companies are welcome to our city. They play an important role in providing jobs for the Tomasinos and generating revenues for the growth of the City of Santo Tomas.” Ricky Carandang, FPIP vice president and head of external affairs, on the other hand, highlighted the importance of the job fairs. According to him, the job fairs “offer our locators a venue for hiring employees who will contribute to company growth. Local residents who are constituents of our LGU partners also benefit because they get hiring priority during these fairs.” Based on information from the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) of the City of Santo Tomas, at least 922 prospective employees and fresh college graduates showed up at the PUP venue and submitted their application forms. Of the total, 217 were hired on the spot, while 609 were to undergo further processing, including 104 seeking overseas jobs. Close to 4,000 of the vacancies remain open for the taking, the PESO data further showed. Lopez-controlled First Philippine Holdings Corporation, together with partner Sumitomo Corporation of Japan, established FPIP as a world-class location for global manufacturers and traders, as well as a platform for creating jobs for ordinary Filipinos and tax revenues for the government. The 520-hectare ecozone, straddling the cities of Santo Tomas and Tanauan in Batangas, now provides employment for almost 80,000 Filipinos, aside from generating hundreds of millions of pesos in tax revenues for the host LGUs. A prospective employee fills up an application form during the recent “Sulong Buhay Job Fair” that First Philippine Industrial Park held in Santo Tomas City, Batangas, in coordination with the local government. More than 50 companies in Santo Tomas City, Batangas, including a dozen FPIP locators, posted over 4,000 job vacancies during the fair.