LABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the government fought hard to set Filipinos free from the bondage of joblessness.

Leading the celebration of the 124th Independence Day of the Philippines yesterday at the Provincial Capitol Gymnasium in Malolos, Bulacan, Bello said the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte ‘moved heaven and earth’ to promote the welfare of Filipino workers.

“Right from the beginning of his term, President Duterte made employment one of his top priorities, ensuring that jobs and businesses go hand in hand under an atmosphere of industrial peace in six years,” the labor chief said.

“And when the Covid 19 pandemic struck in 2019, the government made sure it was there to rescue our workers here and abroad from the debilitating impacts of the outbreak,” he added.

In his video message, President Rodrigo Duterte lauded the Filipino workers for their ability to use their skills and knowledge, calling on the labor sector to rely on learnings of the past to defeat hardships.

“I also urge our countrymen to translate their love to real acts of goodwill to fellowmen so that we can have a more harmonious and more progressive Philippines,” the President added.

Delivering his message also via video, incoming President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., pushed his advocacy for unity by calling on Filipinos to work together.

“Tayo ay magkaisa gamit ang ating pagmamahalan, talino, galing at kagitingan” he said. “Masarap maging Pilipino. Masarap maging malaya,” he added.

Just like the global health crisis, joblessness ‘is a tough nut to crack but our perseverance to triumph brought gains for our workers and economy,” Bello, who is set to finish his term in DOLE at the end of the month, said.

Before leaving however, Bello rallied DOLE officials all over the country to hold a nation-wide jobs fair in a bid to boost employment and help the economy recover from the pandemic.

Latest data showed over 151,000 vacancies were offered by more than 1,100 companies supporting the job fairs conducted by all regional offices of DOLE.

In Region 3 at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium in Malolos, more than 1,500 already waited outside of the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium before the jobs fair opened at 9AM.

Prepared to accommodate them were more than 150 firms with over 13,000 job vacancies led by the manufacturing and business process outsourcing sectors.

Meanwhile, of the total job offers country-wide, more than 107,000 were local while over 45,000 were overseas.

The top vacancies abroad were in nursing, factory workers, and household service while the leading destinations were the Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait), Asia (Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan), Europe (Germany, United Kingdom) and Australia.