Over 12,000 job vacancies are up for grabs for displaced Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) workers during the first day of the third leg of of the Project DAPAT (DOLE Action Plan and Transition Project) special job fair on Tuesday in Pasay.

A total of 12,378 local and overseas vacancies were offered by 790 employers during the two-day job fair to assist displaced workers in finding new jobs following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ban the operations of all POGOs in the country.

Most of the job fair vacancies are in the business process outsourcing, manufacturing, health and wellness, wholesale and retail trade, hotel and restaurant, transport and logistics, and construction sectors.

In his keynote message, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma stressed the collective efforts of various government agencies and the support and cooperation of the private sector in helping the affected workers transition to a more stable and sustainable livelihood.

Proof of this successful collaboration is the 164 former POGO workers who were hired on the spot during the Project DAPAT job fairs conducted on 10 October in Parañaque and Makati, and 23-24 October in Kawit, Cavite.

A total of 589 former POGO workers registered during the job fairs to take advantage of the 14,554 vacancies offered by 128 employers.

Laguesma also expressed the DOLE’s support to Executive Order 74 issued by Marcos on 5 November, directing the Technical Working Group on Employment Recovery and Reintegration to provide assistance and safety nets to displaced Filipino IGL workers.

The technical working group is chaired by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and vice-chaired by DOLE.

Under Project DAPAT, DOLE Regional Offices provide employment facilitation programs and services, including job fairs, job placement assistance, career development support, and labor market information to affected workers.

Other interventions include assistance under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, Adjustment Measures Program, and upskilling and reskilling through TESDA’s training programs.

Laguesma said the DOLE will also assist terminated workers by facilitating the payment of applicable and accrued wages and benefits and expediting the processing of unemployment certificates for the Social Security System Unemployment Insurance Benefit claims.