BULACAN Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado announced yesterday that the provincial government will allocate P2.5 million  for repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers in the province.

The announcement was made during the opening of the province’s first job fair this year at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium where more than 2,000 job seekers also participated in the launching of Phil-JobNet, an on line job matching service.

Alvarado said  the provincial government will give financial assistance through soft loans (from P10,000-P50,000) to some 348 repatriated Bulakenyo OFWs from Libya. The provincial government will also provide college scholarships to children of the repatriated Bulakenyo OFWs job referrals and  skills training to the displaced overseas workers.

“Ang pag-alis ng ating mga kababayan para magtrabaho sa ibang bansa ay isa lamang option. Inilalatag na natin ang mga programa na kung saan marami ang maghahanap-buhay dito sa ating lalawigan at hindi malayo sa kanilang pamilya at mahal sa buhay,” Alvarado said adding that giving livelihood opportunities to Bulakenyos is part of the 7-point agenda of his administration.

Elizabeth Alonzo, head of the Provincial Youth, Sports, Employment, Arts Culture and Tourism Office (PYSEACTO) said this is the biggest job fair in Bulacan where 48 local companies participated and offers job opportunities for engineers, call center agents, clerical workers, supervisors and managers. She added that 10 agencies also participated for the needs of OFWs.

Maricel Santos-Cruz, chief of the Provincial Public Affairs Office (PPAO), also said that there are also job openings for nurses in Singapore and physical therapists in California, USA.