Creating Employment Through Entrepreneurship

by ERNESTO T. SOLIDUM

Above photo shows (l to r) Ms. Vivian Ruiz Solano of PESO, Engr. Roger M. Esto of PPDO, and Engr. Victory M. Fernandez of PEO discussing programs, projects, and activities strategized to develop Aklan.

"Provincial Governance" is the topic discussed on July 10 at the weekly Kapehan held at Smokehauz Resto & Bar. Guests are Ms. Vivian Ruiz Solano, Chief of Public Employment Service Office (PESO), Engr. Victory M. Fernandez, Provincial Engineer’s Office and Engr. Roger M. Esto, Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO).

Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino said that once our Charter is changed from Presidential to Federal form of government, full autonomy will be realized from barangay to regional levels. Existing Provincial Development Council will be strengthened and empowered to implement programs conducive for optimum growth.

Dr. Ambrosio R. Villorente noted availability and competence of existing bureaucrats of the province to transform dreams into reality. He said that provincial planners should critically evaluate present plan to develop two international airports located in Kalibo and Malay, Aklan.

Ms. Solano forthwith announced job openings for nurses in United Arab Emirates (Kuwait and Qatar), London, Saudi Arabia, Hongkong, and Singapore. The office also handles job applicants for tourism industry in Boracay. The first three foreign destinations require no placement fee while Hongkong requires placement fee taken by PESO. Singapore needs placement fee through salary deduction.

"Being a service-oriented office, it does not charge job applicants for placement fee unless warranted by law", said Ms. Solano. Every municipality has a PESO representative who can provide all necessary info and referral to licensed/accredited private recruiting agency.

Engr. Fernandez reported that Provincial Capitol main building renovation project costing P20 million is 75 percent completed. The annex building also with P20 million budget will be completed anytime soon. A continuing project is concreting farm to market roads (FMR) located in Caano highway section to Nalook, Kalibo and Laserna proper to Hurom-Hurom spring in Nabas, Aklan. The probable source of fund is the Department of Agriculture.

Engr. Esto said that the Provincial Develop-ment Investment Plan (PDIP) for 2010 – 2013 prioritizes Agriculture, Tourism, Economic, and Social Development. This is ably discussed by Gov. Carlito S. Marquez in his July 1, 2010 presentation to the SP Aklan during its inaugural session.

The on-going Caticlan land reclamation project in the vicinity of Jetty Port (36.0 has.) and Boracay (4.0 has.) is funded from a P260 million bond floatation. However, LGU Malay opposes it because they also want "a piece of the cake".

Caticlan Jetty Port earns P85 million annually and the only one viable of the many projects included in the Economic Enterprise Department (EED). According to Mr. Odon S. Bandiola, SP Secretary, the EED financial report of 2009 while it targeted P300 million, only P200 million was realized.

Mr. Danny Silva, training coordinator, TESDA says that 70–80 percent of our college graduates fail in communication skills. They may have the ideas but lack confidence especially during job interviews.

On the issue of less Aklanons being hired by tourist-oriented establishments in Boracay, Atty. Allen S. Quimpo clarified that we need to re-orient our job seekers to professional ethics and values. "Because we are near to Boracay we can leave anytime to attend to Kasal, Binyag, and Libing (KBL)." This is primary reason why in the past, employers prefer those coming from Batangas, Cebu, Iloilo or Baguio. Now we have eased this problem with proper seminars and values formation, the former Aklan solon added.

It is typical for parents to expect that their kids are employed by an agency after earning a college degree. Dr. Villorente says this must not be the case. Instead, they can be self-employed or become entrepreneurs. This is the success story behind tiger economies of South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and other Asian countries.

Ironically, we praise OFW’s to high heavens because of $17 billion annual remittances but forget those who sweat it out in this country. Probably, its high time to bring back our technocrats and scientists from abroad with good incentives to jumpstart real progress to our ailing economy. This was previously done in Taiwan and South Korea with resounding success.

In 1979, the provincial development staff proposed to connect Baybay, Makato to Dapdap, Tangalan with a bridge. These municipalities are economically depressed and prevailing limited infra support hampers rural development. It was however shelved because of low population density.

After three decades and the urgent need to mitigate poverty, attract investments in agriculture, fishery, and tourism. It is high time the Aklan provincial government, with Makato and Tangalan take the initiative of constructing a steel bridge (similar to Ibajay bridge) over the heavily silted Makato river. Once completed, the travel time and distance from Kalibo to Ibajay passing the scenic beachfronts and woodland will be cut short by about eight (8) kilometers.

The proposal to enhance tourism transport sector based at Kalibo International Airport is needed. Parking area of existing public transport vans and buses are highly disorganized. To remedy the situation could be the construction of central transport terminal inside CAAP compound, Kalibo as added facility for domestic and foreign tourists. /MP