LABOR Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz lauded on Saturday the Joint Manning Group OMG) and SM Supermalls for pooling their expertise and resources to establish the Center for Filipino Seafarers (CFS).

In her speech during the recently concluded grand opening of the CFS in SM Manila, Baldoz said the establishment of the center was a tangible example’ of corporate social responsibility that other companies can emulate.

‘It is always noble to give back to the society,’ she said.

The Seafarer Center offers a wide array of services such as online job search, hiring events and career talks; health management; family management; wealth management; business opportunities; pasalubong, vacation services and entertainment, among others.

It also sustains the manning industry, one of the bright sectors of the Philippine economy, by instituting best practices in the recruitment of seafarers while fully complying; with the rules and regulations of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Baldoz commended SM Supermalls for its employment facilitation services and the JMG for its support to the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) seafarer programs and projects and for being its partner, together with its member organizations and unions, in providing better services toward the continuous development of the total well-being of the Filipino seafarers.

The event, a milestone in the partnership between the JMG and SM Supermalls, was witnessed by Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim; Seafarer Center Chairman Engr. Sammuel T. Lim; SM Supermalls President Annie Garcia; POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac; and other DOLE and JMG•officials. PNA