The Philippine Online Chronicles

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It turned out to be a mecca for the unemployed.

From as early as 7 in the morning, a few hours short of the official start of Jobapalooza 2009, hundreds of Filipinos lured by the assurance of more than 200,000 job opportunities swarmed the entrance of the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia.

There were difficulties, however. As the sun reached its apex, the number of participants swelled to thousands, overwhelming both the organizers and the applicants. The ranks of hopeful job seekers dissipated at around 4:30 to 5:00 in the afternoon.

Jobapalooza 2009 boasted of 7,414 applicants landing jobs on the day of the event itself (5,877 were locally employed, while 1,537 found overseas employment). Spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment, in cooperation with private sectors and trade unions, the job fair attempted to address the escalating unemployment in the country brought on by the global financial crisis.

Yet after the job fair, more or less three-quarters out of the ballpark figure of 30,000 applicants remained jobless. The unemployment rate in the country is still pegged at 11.2 % or around 4.3 million. The 7,414 Filipinos who found jobs right away only amounted to around 0.17% of the unemployed population.

Participants in the job fair found themselves muddled, as they tried to figure out if the government-backed event was the answer to their predicament or a mere pipe dream.

As bulatlat.com puts it, "At the end of the day, when the press releases about the success of the job fair have been sent and published, it's not about how many were hired on the spot that is important - it is how many remain jobless in spite of the many job fairs the government has conducted."


Thick queue of applicants

Tight security greeted jobseekers at the two entrances of the convention center. Bags and other belongings were subject to close inspection, while individuals passed under walk-through metal detectors.

While the labor unions and government officials carried on with their program inside the SMX Hall, the line of applicants outside the convention center continued to increase. A little past noon, the queue of jobseekers reached the back end of the convention center (facing Manila Bay).

The people waiting in line behaved in various ways. Some groups were enthusiastic enough to joke around and pose every time they saw a camera; some spent their waiting time eating and talking; and some just sat down and waited for the line to move. Diverse positive reactions were displayed, even though the scenario outside the SMX could lead to the most fatal sort of tiredness and boredom. However, as the sun's heat added to the discomfort of people crowded together like packed sardines, tempers began to flare.

The organizers of the event, seeing that there were just too many people, encouraged those at the back of the line to proceed to other SM branches in Metro Manila holding simultaneous Jobapaloozas. The protests among those who were literally waiting for hours were only to be expected. There were those who availed of the SM-provided buses taking them to nearby SM branches (SM Manila, for one). But the majority remained and hoped that they would be able to squeeze themselves in.

Three batches of applicants

Attempting to accommodate the ever increasing number waiting outside the SMX, the organizers of the event decided to grant entry by batch. At around 2 p.m. the first batch of applicants were told to leave the convention center to make way for the thousands still waiting outside.

Although the crowd thinned out noticeably, the second batch were asked to make way for the incoming third and final batch of applicants before 5 p.m.

Upon entering the SMX Hall after hours in line, many could be heard exclaiming "finally!"


Not enough

Despite the three batches who were allowed entry in the convention, not all applicants were given equal opportunity to vie for their dream jobs. Most left the halls after dropping numerous resumes for a myriad of companies with opportunities they felt qualified for.

Joel Canayon, 22, from Laguna, had difficulty looking for a position related to information technology (IT), since there were plenty of others looking for the same. According to him, "competitors" in the field of IT was his setback during the event.

For most, the jam-packed crowds in the hall were their obstacle.

Arlene Salvador from Pasay City and Marvin Dansel from Parañaque City, both 27, complained of the overcrowded venue. When asked if she had a hard time looking for a job, Salvador said, "Hindi naman, kaso lang napagod. Dami kasing tao." Salvador waited from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. before finally being admitted to the convention grounds. "Besides that, it's organized," said Dansel, who was able to schedule interviews with two companies. He added that he didn't count on the advertised hired-on-the-spot campaign of the event.

"Since I already attended a job fair two years ago...I'm quite familiar with the trend. From there, they would just ask for the resume, then they will say that they will get back at you," he said.

For fresh graduate Seneca Villabastilla, 20, from Rizal, the entire event was a sort of baptism of fire. He had great difficulty looking for commerce-related jobs, since this was his first attempt at landing a job. "Fresh grad kasi ako. Kaya parang naninibago pa ako, naga-adjust," he said.

However, for others like George Nobyo, 49, from Marikina City, educational requirement was his downfall. A high school graduate, Nobyo lamented the lack of jobs whose requirements he could meet. Even clerical jobs, which he was looking for, were incompatible. "Lahat ko lang tiningnan, wala sa...category ko na makakuha ng trabaho," he said. "Kaya umuwi nalang ako. Sorry nalang."

Insufficient requirements

In order to land a job, certain requirements must be met. Exhibitors and employers interviewed by the Philippine Online Chronicles admitted that a major hurdle in finding a prospective employee is either the lack of necessary educational background and/or relevant experience.

According to Michael Salcedo, creative director of Orchid Asia Trading, Inc., it wasn't easy for them to find prospective employees, since they were looking for applicants with first-hand experience in the IT field.

"We're setting up an IT team in Asia based in Hawaii," added Liezel Suarez, Orchid Asia's senior manager. "Since our clientele are Americans, they have to be able to communicate [in English] also."

Prople BPO Inc. was on the hunt for "finance and accounting managers, since the company is outsourcing finance and accounting services," according to Human Resource (HR) assistant for recruitment Maria Kristina Antonio. "We're also searching for junior accountants, payroll assistants, business process analysts, and financial analysts."

Antonio said there are only a limited number of applicants they may hire for their company, since "not all people here are graduates of accountancy."

Palm Foods Chain, Inc. has job openings for restaurant manager, restaurant supervisor, sales and marketing manager, cook, server, and cashier. Gisele Subasa, HR of Casa Armas Tapas Bar y Restaurante (one of Palm Foods Chain's restaurants), said their company was able to hire two applicants on the day of the event itself: One marketing manager and another as a server.

However, like other companies, Subasa added that finding applicants for managerial positions proved to be a trying task due to lack of educational attainment.

Mary Ruth Espinoza, HR officer for Optimum Source, Inc., reflected Subasa's observations. According to Espinoza, those applying for the managerial positions have to meet "certain requirements," especially since their company targets a "specific industry" like telecommunications companies.


Complaints

"Ang daming walang trabaho sa Pilipinas," whispered one applicant to himself as he trudged through the sea of people who were probably thinking the same thing. The jobseekers exhibited impressive perseverance. Going to a job fair as big as Jobapalooza is no laughing matter.

According to Julius Cainglet, representative of the Federation of Free Workers, the record of 7,414 workers hired on the spot five hours after the doors were opened was already commendable. Regional updates as of 5:15 p.m. concluded a number of 31, 583 registered, 650 referred, and 5,115 in venue.

This number is obviously far from DOLE's target number of 250,000 guaranteed jobs. Negative feedback was all over the internet the day after the event. One blogger writing about her experience said that the "biggest blunder here was that it was not properly explained that there are other parallel job fairs happening at other SM Malls. The organizers just emphazised the SMX Convention Center as the venue. Hence, the jobseekers trooped to that place. So, after being up for 25 hours, falling in line for 4 hours, seeing a street urchin flip the bird on my fellow passengers, and not having lunch, I had finally arrived home. My search continues..."

Another blogger asked the people responsible for Jobapalooza (including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Vice President Noli De Castro, and DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque) to apologize for the "monumental crowd management fiasco." "Hindi lang po matinding gutom, uhaw, pagod, discomfort, hilo, etc. ang naranasan po ng mga kababayan natin. Pati rin po matinding sama ng loob. Inis talo po ang tawag doon. Sobrang inis talo!" He also said that it would have been better if the job fair was on first come, first served basis so the jobseekers did not have to wait in line for hours. "I'm saying this on hindsight but those who should listen should listen because a lot of people expected much from all the hype that preceded the event. Our countrymen, especially our poor workers, deserve better treatment!"

Successes, letdowns, and a cure

Although thousands of applicants have been successful in getting the jobs that they need, there is still an overwhelming number of jobless Filipinos still hoping for future opportunities. A lot of jobseekers have already proved their toughness and perseverance-they have gone through a tedious process of hoping and waiting, and it could not be denied that there have been a lot of letdowns. The different reactions and feedback from the applicants themselves reflect that a lot of work still has to be done.
 
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Photos by Ofelia T. Sta. Maria