NEWSFLASH

COMPUTERS FIND OPENINGS FOR PALACE JOB-SEEKERS

Malacanang, Nov. 7, 1998 - President Joseph Estrada launched Friday a computerized job placement system called Phili-Jobnet to help poor job-seekers find a job suitable to their skills and qualifications.

A project of the Presidential Action Center or PACE and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Phil-Jobnet will make available to both employers and job-seekers timely and free information about job openings in private companies via the Internet and a nation-wide computer system.

In a speech at the formal inauguration of Phil-Jobnet in Malacañang, the President said the primary objective of Phil-Jobnet is to serve as a fully computerized job-matching system to serve both job-seekers and employers.

He said this project is a concrete manifestation of his administration's commitment to help the unemployed find decent jobs and provide employers with a pool of reliable workers.

"Kaya para sa ating mga manggagawa at mga negosyante: para sa inyo ito! Gamitin ninyo ito sa inyong kapakinabangan (This is for our businessmen and our workers. Use it to your advantage)" the President said.

Through this project, the President said, job vacancies will be announced from time to time to allow job-seekers to choose those positions they deem suitable to their qualifications.

"Sa sistema ito, magiging mabilis ang pagpapalitan ng takbo ng impormasyon para sa kapakinabangan ng ating mga kababayan -- lalong-lalo na yaong hindi alam kung saan pupunta para makakita ng trabaho (Through this system there will be a faster flow of information for the benefit of the people, especially those who do not know where to find suitable jobs)," he said.

Under the program, the President said, the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), have been equipped with computer that would link them with Phil-Jobnet via the Internet.

Eventually, the different provinces and cities will be linked with the job-matching system as soon as their respective Internet connections are put into place, he added.

"I am happy that in spite of the financial crisis gripping the whole of Asia, the country's economic prospects remain bright, and the confidence of both local and foreign businessmen in our capability to overcome the crisis remains strong," Mr. Estrada said.

Such confidence, he added, is evident in the number of new businesses that have cropped up in the last few months, as well as the expansion programs that many businesses here are currently undertaking.

The President said these positive developments have resulted in the creation of more job opportunities for the people.

Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi