A JOBS fair for at least 3,000 affected workers of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp. Philippines (HHIC-Phil), which has declared a debt default, will be held on Feb. 9 at the Subic Gymnasium. The jobs caravan “is the government’s immediate response for the would-be affected workers of the HHIC-Phil,” said Build, Build, Build (BBB) Committee Chairperson Anna Mae Y. Lamentillo of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday at a press briefing in Malacañang. The caravan will be participated in by “the BBB Team, which is composed of Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Bases Conversion and Development Authority, DPWH, Department of Transportation, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of National Defense, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority,” she said. Ms. Lamentillo noted that the government portal currently lists 17,000 jobs, and “we expect that at least 75 contractors will be participating” at the fair. Based on a profiling by the Labor department, most of the displaced HHIC-Phil workers are skilled carpenters, welders, and those with computer-related jobs. Ms. Lamentillo also said that the jobs caravan is open to the general public. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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