Unemployment is expected to increase as local companies lay off their employees, not to mention the repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and job-hunting fresh graduates. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses in many aspects, including their workforce. Online job portal JobStreet.com launched its #TogetherAhead initiative with its commitment to be at the forefront in rebuilding businesses and careers.

#TogetherAhead initiative is JobStreet’s COVID-19 Jobs and Resources Hub which provides job opportunities fit for the condition nowadays such as home-based or freelance. It houses the current job report, available roles, assistance for candidates to get jobs more conveniently, and special aid for hirers.

JobStreet's parent company - SEEK Asia Chief Marketing Officer Ramesh Rajandran shares that the pandemic has greatly impacted businesses and the workforce on a global scale. More than ever, JobStreet strengthens its commitment to rebuild businesses, careers, and people’s lives.

Livelihood for Filipino displaced workers 

More than 2M Filipino workers were reportedly displaced by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), according by DOLE, with Metro Manila as the region with the highest displacement figure. The quarantine measures also caused companies to halt their recruitment processes. 

JobStreet Philippines Country Head Philip Gioca shares that some companies have paused accepting applications, but many of them remain actively recruiting, Gioca encourages jobseekers that there’s a way for them to signal hirers that they are up for urgent hiring.

Industries that are still hiring during this time are Call Center / IT-Enabled Services / BPO (41%), Government Jobs (15%), Education (9%), Banking / Financial Services (4%), Computer / IT (Software) (4%) among others based on JobStreet Internal Data.

The following job roles remain widely available on JobStreet: Call Center Agent (10%), Teacher (7%), Nurse (5%), Engineer (4%) and many more. Fresh graduates who would like to work and earn this time can grab opportunities as Call Center Agent (Php 22,000), Teacher (Php 22,316), Customer Representative (Php 20,500), Admin Assistant (Php 13,319), Nurse (Php 20,745), among others.

Under #TogetherAhead initiative, Jobstreet Philippines’ CSR program #SanaOL features jobs listing 15,000+ online teaching jobs, 14,000+ job vacancies that require no experience from job seekers, 1,600+ opportunities with work from home setup, and 180+ job opportunities for undergraduates. This is supported by YesPinoy Foundation led by Dingdong Dantes. The partnership was able to roll out #SanaOL program by facilitating online career coaching to Filipinos in need of livelihood.   

Connecting candidates and hirers.

Jobseekers are now looking for work from home opportunities, home-based, jobs with no work experience, part-time, or freelance, the demand shift is brought by the present situation.

JobStreet introduced #WorkNow, its latest feature on the platform to support jobseekers further and get them closer with opportunities. #WorkNow allows ready-to-work candidates to stand out and connect them conveniently to potential employers. A #TogetherAhead initiative.

Likewise, this lets companies identify which candidates are available for urgent employment. To use this function, jobseekers only need to log in their JobStreet profile, edit ‘Additional Info’, go to ‘Other Information’ and type in #WorkNow then click ‘Save’. 

Small-to-medium enterprises are offered free-of-charge job posting on JobStreet that offer opportunities for college and K-12 graduates, work from home, and no experience jobs, which gives businesses the opportunity to rebuild themselves and reestablish their workforce.

Gioca added that the COVID-19 has introduced a new normal and it will continue to exist for quite some time, JobStreet is continuously stimulating the job market as part of our commitment to empower jobseekers and hirers during this trying times.

Learn more about #TogetherAhead and other JobStreet initiatives at bit.ly/JobStreetTogetherAhead.  

Work From Home Jobs #SanaOL Program from Jobstreet posted at Cebu Events Blog

51Talk, an online ESL teaching platform turns over 5.25M pesos worth of donation to the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII). Metro Manila hospitals: The Philippine General Hospital-Department of Pediatrics, St. Luke’s Medical Center-Institute of Pediatrics and Child Health and the Metropolitan Medical Center Manila are the beneficiaries of the Medical equipment and PPE donations. 

At the brief turnover ceremony, FFCCCII External Affairs Committee Chairman Nelson Guevarra, representing FFCCCII President Henry Lim Bon Liong, expressed his gratitude to 51Talk for the generous donation.

Guevarra expressed that in behalf of FFCCCII, he thank 51Talk, its CEO and Founder Jack Huang and Country Head Jennifer Que. He also said they have been working double time with the partner organizations locally and abroad to aid hospitals and medical front liners in our fight against COVID-19. He added, that only through helping each other will our nation overcome this crisis.

Philippine government prepares to lift the enhanced community quarantine in the next few weeks but many hospitals are still experiencing supply scarcities, particularly with PPEs.

51Talk Country Head Jennifer Que said that what we are experiencing are extraordinary circumstances. As challenging as it seems for most of us, she admire the resolve and the courage of the Filipino front liners who, day in and day out, are tending to the sick to keep the rest of the population safe and healthy, on behalf of our 51Talk home-based online English teachers, we salute our front liners!

Home-based online types of livelihood remained resilient during this pandemic. 51Talk’s 20,000 strong home-based online English teachers continue to teach and earn while staying safe at home amid the on-going enhanced community quarantine.  

About 51Talk (www.51Talk.ph)

51Talk (NYSE:COE) is the leading online education platform from China that specializes in providing quality online English language teaching. 51Talk connects highly qualified home-based Filipino English teachers with students across China who enjoy a personalized learning experience through live, interactive, and fun lessons.

51Talk donated over 5M worth of PPEs to Metro Manila Hospitals posted at Cebu Events Blog

Many employees and workers have had their livelihoods affected, particularly those working in industries and businesses that were forced to temporarily suspend operations due to ongoing Enhanced Community Quarantine. Thankfully, employees and workers affected can see if they qualify for the national government’s Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program through the Social Security System (SSS) or apply for other loans and have the funds disbursed safely and conveniently to their PayMaya account. The application period for this subsidy program has been extended until May 8, 2020.

PayMaya has partnered with SSS to be the only e-wallet that can receive SBWS funds from the government, allowing even those without a bank account to conveniently receive the subsidy by simply signing up for a PayMaya account using their mobile devices. All you have to do is make sure to provide your PayMaya mobile number to your employer, who will then enroll your PayMaya account to be linked to SSS once they receive access to the SBWS application portal. Easily receive your wage subsidy via PayMaya

1) Download the PayMaya app on your iOS or Android phone

2) Register for an account using your Mobile Number, Name, and Email Address

3) Enter the Verification Code that will be sent to the Mobile Number you registered with

4) Upgrade your account by accessing the menu and tapping "Upgrade Your Account"

5) Once your account is set up and upgraded, give your PayMaya mobile number to your employer who will then enroll your account through the SSS online portal

Loan proceeds and wage subsidies can now be disbursed to your PayMaya account once enrolled and the funds are available. Wage subsidies and loan applications are subject to approval of SSS and based on eligibility of employees after application has been submitted by their respective employers.

To successfully receive your wage subsidies and loan proceeds via PayMaya, make sure that your PayMaya accounts are upgraded. For a faster and smoother upgrade process, uploading a Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) is recommended. Likewise, ensure that the information in your upgrade application form is the same as the one reflected in your ID.

The advantage of having your account verified is that you may encash the funds through the more than 30,000 Smart Padala centers nationwide or withdraw the funds at any Bancnet ATMs currently available using their physical PayMaya card.

Utilizing PayMaya for various digital transactions is also a safer way to pay as part of physical distancing and health measures. Using the PayMaya app, Filipinos can continue doing transactions such as paying their bills, settling government dues, buying airtime load for themselves or their friends, or sending money to loved ones in the provinces all at the safety of their own homes.

PayMaya is one of the leading digital financial services company in the country offering end-to-end payment solutions giving millions of Filipinos an e-wallet that allows them to pay cashless transactions at any time of the day, anywhere in the world, and from any device.

SSS Wage Subsidy release through PayMaya posted at Cebu Events Blog

Hog raisers in General Santos City and South Cotabato assures steady, quality supply for Cebu City and now ready to resume supplying affordable pork meat after Mayor Edgardo Labella lifted the ban on entry of hogs and pork products here following an African Swine Fever infection in some parts of Mindanao in February.


The president of South Cotabato Swine Producers Association (SOCOSPA), Ramil Lim said they are happy to resume supplying Cebu City which they have been doing for the last 30 years.

He likewise thanked Mayor Labella for lifting the ASF-related ban on hogs and pork products in Cebu City. Mayor Labella issued an executive order lifting the ban on April 28. He also hope other cities and provinces in the Visayas will follow suit.


The SOCOSPA president also thanked the mayors of Tacloban City and other towns in Southern Leyte for allowing the entry of live hogs in the said nearby island.

SOCOSPA hog raisers are shipping an average of eight to ten 20-foot container vans of frozen pig carcasses to Cebu City every week before the ban was imposed in February this year. Each container van is loaded with 12 tons of headless pig carcasses.

The Department of Agriculture recently declared General Santos City and South Cotabato as ASF-free. All shipped pork products are also inspected and certified by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) before they are loaded into refrigerated vans bound for Cebu and other destinations.


SOCOSPA livestock raisers, which primarily are from General Santos City and South Cotabato, are the largest hog producers in Mindanao. Both have a combined population of at least 45,000 sows and are capable of producing at least 50,000 hogs every month. At least 60 percent of SOCOSPA hog production is shipped to Visayas, particularly in Cebu City.

DAR Secretary William Dar earlier said some 1,700 metric tons of pork meat are immediately available from General Santos and Davao City to also meet a possible supply problem in Metro Manila. Cebu City meatshop owners have been complaining of low supply of headless pork carcasses.

The price of frozen pork carcass has reportedly gone up to P175 per kilo, prompting them to buy from backyard owners, which is still not enough to meet local demands here.

Backyard hogs have low recovery rates which, according to meat shop owners, drive prices of meat products to go up. A kilo of prime pork belly is now reportedly selling at P300 per kilo at meat shops here in Cebu.

Frozen pig carcasses from General Santos City are priced at P135 to P140 a kilo when landed in Cebu before the ASF-related ban was imposed.

Pilipinas Shell supports our Visayas frontliners, fueled them up and on-the-go. Shell has ramped up its efforts to help front liners stay on the go as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has climbed up in Visayas region. With health and safety as its top priority, Pilipinas Shell has increased the support provided by its retail gas stations so that frontliners can safely reach their destinations.



Here are 6 Ways Pilipinas Shell offered to partners in order to aid the transportation of frontliners, the mobilization of ambulances, and other ongoing relief efforts.

1. Free fuel has been provided to two of its Visayan partners, the Home Quarantine and Protection Project in Negros and the Chonghua Hospital in Mandue.
2. Free fuel has been provided to Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), Ceres bus line partnered with Bacolod City to deploy 21 of its buses to ferry health workers and workers of other essential services.
3. ₱3.00 OFF for gasoline and ₱2.00 OFF for diesel at 151 Shell gas stations in Luzon and Visayas for health workers, police and military personnel, and logistics drivers at the forefront of the COVID-19 efforts thru Shell’s Project Bayanihan.
4. Free Vitamin C from Shell's four retail sites in Bacolod to all customers who gas up at Shell. Since the beginning of the initiative, 2,000 vitamin C capsules have been released to customers to help boost their immune systems.
5. Free Coffee, face masks and snacks at various Shell retailer stations and partners as they also stepped up to provide additional support.
6. Free Food Delivery to hospitals in Manila with as Shell tapped partner establishments at certain stations.

For 106 years, Shell has contributed its global expertise to power progress in the Philippines. Even with today’s extraordinary circumstances, Shell aims to drive its efforts towards preparing nation for the recovery efforts of tomorrow. Their initiatives in the Visayas are part of the company’s commitment to be the country’s partner in nation-building.

Shell fuels up Visayas frontliners to keep them on-the-go posted at Cebu Events Blog