Join public service, gov’t urges youth

MANILA, Philippines - More government agencies have joined efforts to entice more youth to join public service.

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with job matching startup Kalibrr, which will serve as the online platform where government agencies can post job vacancies for various positions.

“Better government service depends on having the right people for the right job to serve our students in the best way we can,” DepEd Undersecretary for regional operations Rizalino Rivera said.

“We look forward to maximizing our partnership with Kalibrr and Bagumbayani so we can cast our nets wider and allow for merit-based recruitment and talent sourcing that allows Filipinos anywhere in the world to be given a chance to take part in the unique privilege of serving the Filipino people through government service,” Rivera added.

The partnership with Kalibrr was initiated by Bagumbayani Initiative, a group of young government employees, to entice more young Filipinos to join the government.

Frocks Roque, one of the founders of the initiative, said they aim to match the right talent with the right opportunities in the government, train current civil servants, and sustain communities of hope in the service.

“We formed the Bagumbayani Initiative with this theory of change: we must continue to recruit a steady flow of talent into government to sustain public sector reforms,” Rique said.

Other agencies that joined the signing of the agreement include the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Transportation and Communication, Bureau of Local Government Finance and the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines.

The agencies that inked the partnership with Kalibrr this week is the second batch since the launch of the project earlier this year.

The Department of Finance, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Tourism and Civil Service Commission started earlier  in utilizing Kalibrr as a platform for job vacancies.

Since May 2015, Kalibrr said 10 government agencies have posted 3,807 job vacancies in the site.

More than 38,000 applications have already been submitted, most of which are currently under processing.

“So far we have seen applications from people from the provinces who might never have heard of these job opportunities without Kalibrr and Bagumbayani,” Kalibrr chief executive officer Paul Rivera said.

“We want to continue to level the playing field and provide equal opportunities for job applicants regardless of their location, age or school,” Rivera added.

Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman stressed the importance of bringing in the best people to sustain the effects of good governance.

Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said recruiting the best talent with integrity and competence is a pressing challenge for the department as it ramps up and rolls out its pipeline infrastructure projects.