Benguet hydro-plant owner asked to employ locals

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SUNDAY, 24 APRIL 2011 17:58 LIZA T. AGOOT / CORRESPONDENT

BOKOD, Benguet—Local officials of this town are asking SN Aboitiz Group of Benguet (SNAP) to employ local residents to operate the Ambuklao hydroelectric power plant before looking for workers elsewhere.

Vice Mayor Rey Tello said the town’s officials are hoping for the company to prioritize the employment of the town’s residents, but will reiterate this request in a resolution they will eventually submit to the company.

He added that Bokod is endowed with professionals who are capable of work in the plant.

“We have a lot of graduates here they can tap. There are also others who have been trained in previous employments locally and abroad who can be utilized by SNAP in the operation of the hydro power plant,” he said.

According to an official of SNAP, the company is targeting October as the plant’s start of full operation.

The official said the company’s human-resource officer has not yet issued a statement as to whether they are opening positions.

Tello said the target date of operation is nearing and being a big company, it has by now a list of the human resources they will be needing to operate the plant.

“We have not been informed yet if they are hiring personnel or what positions and skills they need so we would know if the municipality has these human resources available,” he said.

At present, the company’s subcontractors are utilizing the services of locals but whose employment is likely to be terminated as soon as the plant’s operation starts, if they will not be rehired by SNAP.

The vice mayor added that they are hoping SNAP would not just look at the local manpower as a source of laborers for blue-collar positions because there are many skilled and trained professionals in the town.

Benguet board member Juan Nazarro, who hails from Bokod, said SNAP has assured the provincial board, of three commitments when SNAP group president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Rubio was called before members of the board pertaining to the ongoing rehabilitation of the Ambuklao power plant.

He said, “They committed taxes, livelihood where one of them is allowing the people to have fish cases at the dam and to provide employment for the local residents.”

These commitments, Nazarro said, are in the archives of the minutes of the meeting of the provincial boardwhich they could bring out to remind SNAP of their commitment.

He said SNAP should live up to its commitment of employing locals for both staff and manual-labor positions.

When informed that the company has not yet coordinated with the local government about available manpower when they are announcing a full operation months from now, Nazarro said the company’s management should be reminded of their commitment to the provincial board that they will give employment priority to the residents of Bokod before hiring people coming from outside the town.