Isabela City, Basilan - Embracing the flight/journey of the informal sector served as the motivation for DOLE Isabela City Field Office to conduct the first ever Appreciation Course on 5S/Good Housekeeping and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Learning Session on February 20, 2014 at the JJ Twins, this city.

Forty-two (42) potential applicants and unemployed poor for the Kabuhayan Starter Kits participated in the sessions on housekeeping, simple records keeping, safe and healthy workplace and community and SSS social services. City Administrator and Tripartite Industrial Peace Council Chairperson Ramon Nu?al welcomed the participants underscoring the need to maintain a healthy body in order to sustain their means of livelihood and grab this rare opportunity to learn and ultimately earn.

The sessions aimed to identify the basic principles in the implementation of 5S/Housekeeping, the unsafe acts and unhealthy conditions workshop to improve safety and health problems, the basic practice of simple records keeping, the benefits of the SSS services and as force multiplier in maintaining a safe and healthy working conditions.

This convergence brings together resource speakers and stakeholders from Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, Social Security System, Philippine National Police and the Claret College of Isabela BS Business Administration.

This capacity building is also part of the re-entry plan of Marcie Arcaya and Cely Cabang, both participants in the regional Appreciation Course on OSH and Good Housekeeping held in the last quarter of 2013. The next sessions on safety and health training and information covering the informal sector are set on April 15 and 28, 2014.

Reported by Marcie Arcaya, DOLE- ICFO