LOCAL local officials see the hiring of 26 students for a restaurant here as starting countless job opportunities for Catigbianons in this time of financial grip.
Both Mayor Roberto Salinas and Vice Mayor Necita Digaum agree that the ripple effects in the opening of Katigbawan Resto would definitely affect the town’s economic base and raise household incomes better.
The officials said this in time for the semi-hiring of 26 students who could also pick up food handling training that could land them jobs in the future.
Salinas, who admits he also shares a poor past said the students hired on a shifting basis would complement a regular restaurant staff of 6 and would be paid on hourly rates patterned after major food chains in the country.
On the process, they too earn enough to pay for their fares to school, and a little extra to possibly prop up family’s income by unburdening parents of daily expense needs, Salinas said.
During the opening, restaurant manager Jocelyn Angcahan said that they patterned their hiring scheme with that on big-time fastfood chains by allowing students time for work and yet keeping them in school.
The student waiters wear custom printed yellow with green collar and trim polo shirts, the traditional Catigbian green caps, black pants and leather shoes. They also stuck like sore thumb in an air-conditioned restaurant with function rooms and amenities in a largely agricultural town about 30 kilometers from the city.
The students, she said would be scheduled for duty after their school hours and would be rotated on a shifting basis, well enough to keep them off work during examinations and other school related activities.
The big thing here, Catigbian Mayor Roberto Salinas admitted “is that an investor has finally come to set a good example to people in food handling business here”.
“This is definitely going to set the standard in food handling here,” he asserted.
All the workers here underwent sputum examinations, carry medical clearances, and work in full uniform, the mayor and retired navy captain said sharing the vision of the investor, Manila based Wilbenson Arlegui.
The restaurant serves Boholano food including the traditional native chicken adobo, haling-halang and tinola, kanding kaldereta, paklay, papaitan, kilawin, kalabaw nilas-ay, adobo, balbacua and other visayan specialties, said manager Angcahan.
The resto opening also came as a new development when town officials campaign for employment and jobs generate jobs to reduce the impact of the worldwide economic slowdown. (rachiu/PIA)
