By Johnny Dayang
For the government, central to the four to six months closure of Boracay Island may be the primary issue of environmental rehabilitation. For the island residents, however, the principal and central issue is the loss of jobs and livelihood which hugely impact on the very survival of their families.
While certain agencies involved in the restoration have lined up gainful employment opportunities for the local folks, the numbers seem limited to only a small segment of the island’s population.
Happily, limited as it may be, opportunities for overseas employment of affected workers take a central focus onMay 3 and 4 when recruitment for workers abroad is held at the Aklan Training Center, Old Buswang, Kalibo, Aklan. Private partner agency for this undertaking is the EDI-Staffbuilders International Inc.
Aklan Governor Florencio T. Miraflores, in a statement warmly welcomed this development and said the entry of the recruitment firm helps “make up for the deficiencies in job openings and carries with it the chance of extending a support system to address local poverty.”
Miraflores noted that the first quarter of 2018 has been very challenging for Aklan. “The closure of the crown jewel of our tourism industry has left a strain especially to the thousands of workers in the island. And it is about a very timely and welcome event, that this recruitment activity will be conducted for Aklanons,” he stressed
Significantly, for the Czech Republic alone, over a thousand Filipino workers with skills in sales, warehouse and logistics management, forklift and related equipment operation, butchery, manufacturing and related service industries are available. These overseas jobs are offered at no expense to qualified applicants.
Aris Metin, EDI-Staffbuilders International, Inc. management consultant explained that apart from the job placements in the Czech Republic, there are also openings in the USA, Germany, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and the Asia Pacific region for skilled applicants.
“Our main objective is to provide job applicants an option . . . of mapping their destiny in becoming an Overseas Filipino Worker by advocating the ‘No Placement Fee, No Processing Fee, No Salary Deduction’ manner of overseas job application. We believe that a qualified applicant need not pay a single fee to work abroad,” Metin stressed.
These prospects surely promotes positive vibes and hopes for displaced Boracay workers and Aklan folks.
