MANILA – More than 1,500 job vacancies will be offered during the initial leg of the “Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso! Philippine Tourism Job Fair” happening this coming September 22 to 24.
 
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco made the announcement on Tuesday (August 30) at the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
 
“The agreement we are formalizing today by way of a memorandum of understanding Between the Department of Tourism and the Department of Labor and Employment is essential, responsive and proactive to the tourism employment sector,” said Secretary Frasco.
 
“I express my profound gratitude to DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma for his kind acceptance and willingness to undertake this collaboration with the DOT to open up employment and livelihood opportunities to our fellow Filipinos in the tourism industry across our islands in the Philippines. Through this MOU between the DOT and DOLE, we will jointly conduct job fairs to fill in the gaps caused by job lost due the pandemic on one, and on the other the need to fill up essential job vacancies of the gradually recovering tourism industry,” added Secretary Frasco.
 
The MOU, which was signed between the two Secretaries and witnessed by DOT Undersecretary Ferdinand Jumapao and DOLE OIC-Undersecretary for Employment and Human Resource Development Paul Vincent Añover, seeks to formalize the partnership of both national agencies to provide an avenue for the creation of employment opportunities in the tourism sector and allied industries.
 
A total of 1,538 vacancies, 1,273 of which are full-time job posts and 265 part-time openings from the 293 establishments surveyed by the DOT as of August 30 will be offered during the initial leg of the “Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso! Philippine Tourism Job Fair”, which the DOT and DOLE shall simultaneously launch in three different cities across the country.
 
As determined by the DOLE Online Establishment Reporting System, the Accommodation and Food Service Activities Industry recorded 12,717 local job displacements from 739 reporting establishments from January to June 2022.
 
“Tonight’s event comes at an important juncture, where we join together in this MOU to further advance our partnership and support. With this, I would like to express my gratitude to Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco, for spearheading this advocacy of creating a space for our workers to bounce back and become contributors to our recovering economy…Ang DOLE po at ang DOT ay patuloy na magsasagawa ng tulad ng mga job fairs upang mapabilis ang pagkakaroon ng trabaho lalong lalo sa turismo at nang masiguro na sama-sama ang bawat Pilipino sa pag-asenso,” DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma expressed during the MOU signing.
 
The Manila leg of the job fair series will run from September 22 to 24 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, in Pasay City, while the Cebu and Davao legs are scheduled to happen from September 22 to 23, at the SM City Cebu and Abreeza Mall in Davao City, respectively.
 
Companies who wish to join the job fair may coordinate with their concerned DOT Regional Offices. Likewise, interested applicants and job hunters may coordinate with the DOT’s regional offices or with Ms. Cassandra Camonggol of the DOT Office of Industry Manpower Development (OIMD) at email address dot-oimd@tourism.gov.ph for further information on the event.
 
The Manila leg of “Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso! National Tourism Jobs Fair” will be concurrently staged at the SM Convention Center with the Hotels Supplier Show, after Global-Link MP, one of the private sector partners of the DOT and DOLE, allotted 50 booths for the job fair at no cost.
 
Members of the House of Representatives led by Deputy Speaker Vincent Franco Frasco,  Representative of 5th District of Cebu; Deputy Speaker Raymund Democrito Mendoza of TUCP Party List; Eleandro Jesus Madrona, Representative Lone District of Romblon; Midy N. Cua, Representative Lone District of Quirino; Jose Gay Padiernos of GP PARTY; as well as Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Danilo Cruz; and partners from the private sector Global-Link MP Events Int’l Inc. COO Ma. Lourdes Lagandaon and Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jose Clemente III were present to support the event.
 
”With the collaborative spirit of the national government, the local government units, the private sector, the DOT is optimistic that the Philippines can claim its position on the global stage, jobs will be regained, and tourism-related enterprises will bounce back stronger than ever, sooner rather than later,” Secretary Frasco added.