Agabas, Dole. Hanjin hold Job Fair

Text and photos by Virgilio Sar. Maganes

TAYUG- More than 500 jobseekers from the various towns of 6th District trooped to the gymnasium here on March 25 to apply for a job offered by Hanjin Heavy Industries of Subic Bay Freeport Zone, a Korean company engaged in ship building.

The job fair was sponsored by 6th District Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the first to be conducted in the district.

“Job fairs are mostly conducted in Lingayen which entails travel cost to our jobseekers in the district. By bringing the Hanjin Company here, their transportation costs and expenses were not only lessened but they would not be competing with the other jobseekers in various parts of the province. We hope to bring in more companies in the next job fairs –both for local and overseas employment,” Agabas said.

Job vacancies offered by the said company are staff for administration, engineering, accounting and events coordination.

“This will help a lot for us jobseekers. We thanked Rep. Agabas for working on this job fair especially now that life is economically difficult, said Danilo Ortiz, 34, single, a welder of Dalumpinas, San Nicolas.

“With this job fair, the company is assured of quality workers. Agabas is true to her promise during the election that she will help the youth in her district to look for work,” Nathaniel Gavina said, 20, a graduate of welding technician of San Pablo, Sta. Maria.

Eva Marie Elloraza, 21 and a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education of San Mariano, Sta. Maria also said that Agabas has given hope to the youth to land a job and gain experience even as she said that this was her first time to apply for a job after graduating from college.

“With my credentials, I am confident to be taken in. I need a job to help my parents in our family expenses, “ said Emalyn Daniel, 20, of San Roque, San Manuel.

Ortiz, Gavina, Elloroza and Daniel were among the job hopefuls who waited patiently for their numbers to be called and to be interviewed by the staff of Hanjin Company. All of them exuded optimism to get a job in the company and expressed thanks to Agabas for having the job fair in the district.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview, Agabas bared her activities in the House of Representatives including the projects that are being undertaken in her districts.

As chair on the Revision of Laws, Agabas said three bills have been passed in her committee. These are the “subsidiary imprisonment” which was already approved in the second reading, the probation law on the second reading and the exemption on criminal liability on the first reading.

The subsidiary imprisonment bill, she said, refers to the civil liability of a convict that if he will not comply on the payment of damages called for in the decision, the amount will be converted into number of days.

“ This is how it works. If in case in the decision the convict will pay P8,000, that will be divided by P350.00 or that will be 23 days additional imprisonment. That will be a far cry from the original law of P8 per day,” she said.

The law on probation has also been passed . The original law on probation states that probation could be availed of if the sentence is 6 years and below without the benefit of appeal.

“We have extended the sentence period to 8 years and below. Even if the decision is on appeal, probation could still could be availed of,” she said.

The exemption on criminal liability has been lowered from 15 years old and below to 12 years old and below.

“The original law has been abused. That’s why there are criminal offenders who carry their birth certificates proving that they are 15 years old to be exempted from criminal liability. We lowered this to 12 years old and below,” Agabas further said.

The three bill have similar counterparts in the Senate House under Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

When asked on how she voted for the impeachment of Ombudsman Merciditas Gutierrez, Agabas said she voted “yes” after consulting her constituents in the district.

“We need the impeachment to pursue so that the people will be enlightened on the many issues at hand,” she said.