LUBAO, PAMPANGA–Hundreds of residents from the different towns of Pampanga’s Second District attended the recent orientation on possible employment in South Korea.
Some 688 participants trooped to the municipal gymnasium here to learn more about the Employment Permit System (EPS), a government to government employment scheme between the Philippines and South Korea. Lubao was chosen as a pilot area.
The orientation, held last January 25, was attended by Deputy Administrator Jocelyn Turla-Sanchez of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and her staff, Jong Phil Choi, president of Jongphil Korean Language Training Center, Municipal Civil Registrar Cecilia M. Bernal, and Public Employment Services Office Manager Raquel R. Lugtu.
Those who went through the orientation were among the initial 724 registrants assisted by the local PESO in the online registration from January 31 to February 3. They will now be prepared to take a Test on Proficiency in Korean (EPS-TOPIK) from March 25 to 26, 2017.
Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab, Pampanga Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda, Vice Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda and Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had recently visited South Korea to check on the working condition of Filipinos.
“We are very fortunate that our constituents in Lubao have been given the opportunity to land employment in South Korea. With this they could help uplift the economic conditions of their families here in the Philippines and help the country by mean of their remittances,” Cayabyab said.
POEA and Human Resource Development (HRD) Korea are the implementing arms of the two countries in an effort to fill in manpower requirement of companies in South Korea.
EPS Korea is the centerpiece of the municipality’s overseas employment promotion program. It has huge socioeconomic benefits to the residents who are employed in various industries in South Korea and are earning an average of US$1,300 to US$1,500 each month.
To date, at least 14,000 residents of Lubao make up part of the more than 14,000 Kapampangan workers deployed in South Korea.
“Like our governor, our local chief executive [Mayor Pineda-Cayabyab] advocates for a productive livelihood and gainful employment in every household in the municipality. Employment program is one of the basic services that she gives focus on through the Public Employment Service Office,” PESO Manager Raquel Lugtu said. –Albert B. Lacanlale