The Bureau of Public Information said ARMM’s Labor Secretary Myra M. Alih told concerned recruitment agencies that while they may have been accredited by the DOLE national office, they still need to get regional accreditation for their smooth activities in the autonomous region.
Alih said there are 60 recruitment agencies operating in the area of autonomy, but not one of them has applied yet for accreditation from the DOLE-ARMM.
“We have been tolerating their operations in the region without accreditation from us for twenty-two long years before we have decided to give directives to them,” Alih stressed.
Alih reported that last November 17, eighteen recruitment agencies conducted a jobs fair in Cotabato, receiving dozens of instant applications in their slots for registered nurses, midwives, civil engineers, welders and household workers alongside aerobics instructors and machine operators.
The jobs fair formed part of the highlights of the recent celebration of the 22nd ARMM foundation anniversary that started Nov. 14 and ended on Nov. 19.
The event offered limited slots for nurses, midwives and welders, while the slots for household works were unlimited.
At the a forum, ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo also urged recruitment firms to work together with the ARMM government in order to protect the interest of the recruits.
Sinarimbo said the current administration of Acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong has initially established commercial and employment link with Malaysian authorities, who had assured to give preference to ARMM residents in the imminent hiring of 40,000 highly-paid plantation workers.
The potentials of ARMM’s jobseekers in the oil palm plantations exclude standing offer by the Malaysian government to accommodate unlimited number of household workers.
Sinarimbo said that such offers are a great opportunity for the ARMM constituents, citing it as a reason for the required close coordination between local recruiters and DOLE authorities in the autonomous region. (BPI-ARMM/RVC/PIA9-ZBST)
