SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – “Give man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

Thus said retired Police Deputy Director General Reynaldo V. Velasco as he quoted Chinese philosopher Confucius in formally announcing the staging of the four day Victorey Job Fair from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Bayambang at the Ramos Espanol Building on December 3 and on December 4 to 6 in this city at the PESO Building in cooperation with the Office San Carlos City Julian Resuello and Bayambang Vice Mayor Boy Soriano respectively.

“We want to provide a long-term solution to the vicious cycle of poverty, patronage politics and dependency. This is the reason why we have invited some Japanese friends to employ some of our provincemates in the third district so that they will have chance for a better life if they have stable jobs,” Velasco said even as he thanked the two local leaders in welcoming the job fair in their respective localities. 

Two months ago, Velasco sponsored the staging of a two-day job fair in Sta. Barbara that generated more than 1,000 applicants out of which 150 qualified but only 120 have been formally employed for more than a month now working at the EPZA in Cavite City earning a monthly take home pay between P13,000 to P15,000 a month. He disclosed that his Japanese friend Ito Odajima, administrative officer of Wu Kong (S) Pte. Ltd., will personally join him to launch the job fair and personally interview some of the job applicants themselves.

Wu Kong is an ISO 9001-2000 certified company engaged in the manufacture of pre-fabricated wood, glass and steel components of Japanese houses using state-of-the-art technology. It has strong tie up with Suzuki Philippines. Velasco said that Wu Kong has 600 job openings for production assistant supervisors (26-35 years old and graduate in engineering courses), production team leaders (23-30 years old engineering graduates), safety engineers (23 to 26 years engineering graduates), office staff personnel (20 to 26 years and graduate in any 4-year course like Psychology), factory workers (18-28 years old, at least high school graduates), welders (18 to 28 years with knowledge and skills in welding and fabrication) and maintenance crew (21-28 years old and graduates in vocation course on mechanical engineering). He added that applicants are requested to their bio-data, SSS employment history and 2 x 2 pictures. All male applicants should have clean cut or barber’s cut hair without color, a shaved beard and moustache and no exposed body tattoo.

“Those who will pass the screening will be given free medical examination with a mobile clinic to be provided by Wu Kong. This is only a special arrangement in deference to General Velasco,” said Wu Kong human resource manager Stella Marie Gonzales.

Assisting the Wu Kong team in the staging of the Victorey Job Fair are volunteers and members of the Kabataang Panlalawigan Laban sa Ipinagbabawal na Gamot (Kapanalig) who will be on hand to assist applicants as facilitators and volunteers.

It will be recalled that some 500 youths have undergone Kapanalig anti-drug seminars sponsored by General Velasco in the last five months. Among the beneficiaries of Velasco’s first job fair who are now gainfully employed at EPZA in Cavite are: Benjie Peralta, Joseph Bugayong, Jemuel Cachin, Roy Capinpin, Jonathan Carrera, Francisco Lalas Jr., Eligio Corpuz Jr., Alex Dalope, John Pink Floyd de los Santos, Aldrin Fernandez, Cris John Gutay, Henry Laureano Jr., Jay Maybalo, Eugene Najera, Jayson Van Pablo, Charwin Pontawe, Federico Segundo Jr., Rodel Tenorio, Ken Jet Trinidad, Arnold Urbano, Miguel Victorio and Christian Zara who are all from Sta. Barbara; Julius Canilang, Armando Caron, Leo Ferrer, Quirino Roy, Jr., Jesus Salinas, Ruel Viloria and Bartolome Zulueta, all from Calasiao; and, Mc Anthony Macaraeg, Brian Magalong and Arturo Navarro from Mangaldan.