The volunteers who drove some 20,000 survivors of super-typhoon “Yolanda” to relatives and friends in Luzon have shifted gears. Tomorrow, Dec. 15, the “Angels on Wheels” of Oplan Hatid will hold a job fair in Luneta with the ambitious mission of giving jobs to the survivors.
The job fair comes one month after the howler destroyed communities and displaced people in Eastern Visayas. After the evacuation, the survivors by now are not just worrying about where to get food for the day, but also about rebuilding their lives. And that starts with a job.
Now comes “Oplan Trabaho,” an initiative of 2,000 volunteers who drove complete strangers to homes of relatives and friends after they landed at Villamor Air Base on C-130 planes from Tacloban and Samar.
“We’ve serviced around 20,000 individuals already,” said Araceli Ocampo, one of the core organizers of Oplan Trabaho. “And our drivers are the best. We actually call them ‘angels on wheels.’ They’ve formed a very personal relationship with the survivors.”
A special bond developed while survivors and volunteers were in one vehicle for the ride. Soon, the families felt secure enough to inquire about job opportunities from the volunteers.
“Around 75 percent of those we’ve driven come from poor families. And their relatives in Manila are also poor, so they really feel the pressure to help out and earn money,” said Ocampo.
And since the Department of Social Welfare and Development has taken over Oplan Hatid, and the entry of survivors in Villamor is thinning, the 2,000 volunteers have decided to move on to another project.
“The volunteers are all very supportive and very positive about Oplan Trabaho,” she said.
The job fair tomorrow will be held at the plaza in front of the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Luneta. The “Oplan Hatid” core group has coordinated with government and private groups, and a wide network of personal friends, too, to bring employers and employees there. The aim is for most – if not all – of the survivors will be hired on the spot. Job opportunities will be for professionals, skilled workers, and household staff.
“We also have something for graduating students. Plus there will be all sorts of training – training to become a call center agent, beautician, or sewer,” she said.
“This is not a regular job fair so survivors should not feel intimidated. This was created to help them get back on their feet,” she added.
Oplan Trabaho organizers have coordinated with the Department of Labor and Employment, Social Security System, and the National Bureau of Investigation.
“These survivors have lost all their things so they don’t have proper documentation,” explained Ocampo.
“Hopefully they will get that for free during the job fair.”
The DOLE-NCR, for its part, has agreed to send five companies per city or municipality as part of its Public Employment Service Office. That way, survivors will be able to find jobs in a location that’s more ideal for them.
As an added treat, there will be a small boutique set up during the job fair where survivors can get a free makeover, and be provided with the right office wear, bags, shoes, and even make-up.
“We want them to be ready for a new working environment,” said Ocampo.

Source: Manila Bulletin - December 14, 2013