RDT & Co.
REYES, DIANO, TUMANDA & CO.CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce appeal

Seasonal jobs for the workers displaced by the Subic Gateway Park fire

The fire of 4 November 2026 at Subic Gateway Park Phase II left thousands of workers without income before Christmas. Companies offer jobs of 2 to 3 months here; PESO Olongapo matches the workers.

-seasonal jobs offered
-companies, - positions
-people already hired
Offer positions
Our Chamber President asked members for seasonal jobs for the workers displaced by the fire. This board collects the offers in one place. Why a board?
  • Post each kind of job once, with the number of people and what the work needs. It takes about two minutes.
  • PESO Olongapo can pre-select suitable workers for each job, so companies receive people who fit and workers are not sent to the wrong place.
  • Everyone sees the running total. No copying and pasting of the chat list, and nothing gets lost.
  • The offers already made in the chat are on the board. Minimum wage, 2 to 3 months, as the President asked.

Open positions

Every position offered so far. Workers apply through PESO Olongapo, not directly. "Confirmed" means the Chamber has checked the entry with the company.

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Each company has one private edit link, created when it posts. Everyone in the company who has the link can update the entry at the same time; if two people change the same position at once, the second is asked to check the newer version before saving. Lost the link? Ask a colleague, or write to the organiser named at the bottom of this page.

Add your company's positions

List each kind of job separately, with how many people you need and what the work asks of them. PESO Olongapo uses this to pre-select suitable workers before referring them to you. Positions appear on the public board; contact details stay private.

Positions
Private: for the Chamber and PESO only

Update your entry

Open your company's edit link to change positions, mark people as hired or add new jobs. The link was shown when your company posted. You can paste it here.

How workers and companies are matched

Proposed process, being agreed with PESO Olongapo. This section will be updated once PESO confirms.

  1. Companies post positions here. Each kind of job once, with the number of people, the work, the requirements and a contact person.
  2. The organiser sends PESO the list every working day. PESO Olongapo receives all open positions with requirements and the company contact, from this board. Workers do not see company contacts.
  3. PESO pre-selects. PESO checks its list of registered displaced workers against the requirements and picks suitable people for each position.
  4. PESO contacts the company directly with the names of the referred workers, and gives each worker a referral slip with the company address and a contact.
  5. The worker goes to the company with the referral slip and IDs. The company interviews and decides.
  6. The company hires with a written seasonal contract (see the rules below), then marks the person as hired on this board with its edit link.
  7. Filled positions drop out of the next list to PESO, so nobody is sent to a job that is already taken. Companies can also tell PESO directly when they are full.
Who does what
  • Companies: post and update positions, interview referred workers, sign contracts, mark hires.
  • PESO Olongapo: receives the list, pre-selects and refers workers, informs the companies.
  • Workers: register with PESO and wait for a referral. Please do not go to company gates without one.
  • Organiser: sends the list to PESO, answers questions, issues edit links.
Still to be agreed with PESO
  • Who at PESO receives the list, in which format, and at what time of day.
  • How PESO tells companies about referred workers (call, email or list) and how fast.
  • Whether the job fairs on 26 November and 8 December use this list.
  • How hires are reported back to PESO, and how worker data is protected (Data Privacy Act).

Rules that protect workers and companies

A short orientation so that a seasonal job does not create problems later. It is not legal advice; for a specific case ask PESO Olongapo, the SBMA Labor Department, DOLE or your own adviser.

For workers
  • Your employer may have suspended work, not ended it. During a suspension of up to six months you are still its employee.
  • Do not resign to take a seasonal job. A court has treated a second job during a suspension as giving up the first one, with loss of separation pay.
  • Ask your employer for a written certificate of temporary lay-off that allows interim work and keeps your right to be recalled.
  • Insist on a written contract with start and end date, and at least minimum wage. SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG continue under your existing numbers.
For companies
  • Use a written fixed-term contract, signed before the first day, with an end date and the reason: seasonal work, worker on temporary lay-off elsewhere.
  • No probation clause and no renewal beyond the season. Hire directly, not through an agency.
  • Pay at least the regional minimum wage (Zambales incl. Olongapo: PHP 600 per day non-agriculture, PHP 590 retail and service), contributions from day one, pro-rata 13th month and holiday pay.
  • Inside the Freeport, the SBMA Labor Department handles registration and gate passes. Ask about the joint process for the fire-affected workers.
For both
  • Worker data from PESO is used only for this hiring and not passed on (Data Privacy Act).
  • A position on this board is a statement of intent, not a job offer. The contract is what counts.
  • Open questions on permits, fees and benefits are being raised with the authorities. This page will be updated.

Basis: Labor Code Art. 295, 298, 301; JPL Marketing v. CA, G.R. 151966 (2005); Wage Order RBIII-26; DOLE DO 174-17; RA 10173.

What happened

Compiled from press reports up to 12 November 2026. Reports differ on several points; the differences are shown, not smoothed.

The fire
  • Started Wednesday 4 November 2026 between about 10:30 and 10:45 pm at the plant of Philippines Jinboway Technology Ltd. Corp., Subic Gateway Park Phase II.
  • Burned for nearly eight hours and spread to neighbouring buildings; reported under control at 5:45 am on 5 November.
  • No deaths reported. SBMA Fire Department reported two minor injuries, one of them a firefighter.
  • Cause not yet established. Damage not yet assessed.
Companies and workers
  • Four companies affected according to the SBMA Labor Department: Jinboway (bags and outdoor gear for export) and three neighbours. Juan Fong Industrial Corp. is the only other one named in reports.
  • Workers affected: about 3,000 to 3,400 at Jinboway; about 4,700 across the affected firms.
  • Workers live mainly in Olongapo City, Subic, San Antonio and San Marcelino (Zambales) and in Hermosa (Bataan).
  • No public statement by the companies on wages, suspension or closure was found.
Response so far
  • Olongapo City: financial aid applications at the City Social Welfare and Development Office since 11 November.
  • PESO Olongapo with SBMA Labor Department and DOLE Zambales: job fairs announced for 26 November and 8 December.
  • Subic, San Antonio and San Marcelino: profiling affected residents for aid.
  • SBMA: Labor Department to coordinate with the company owners.

Sources: Inquirer, BusinessMirror, Punto (fire), Punto (aid), Punto (jobs), Daily Tribune, GMA News.

Where displaced workers can get help now

Pass this on to affected workers. Requirements change; check with the office before you go.

Cash aid
  • Olongapo residents: City Social Welfare and Development Office, 2nd floor, City Hall. Bring company ID (original and photocopy) and a government ID showing your Olongapo address.
  • Subic, San Antonio, San Marcelino, Hermosa: ask your Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office; lists are being drawn up.
  • DSWD crisis assistance (AICS): DSWD satellite office Zambales, 6th floor, SM City Olongapo Downtown. A social worker assesses each case.
Work and income
  • PESO Olongapo job fairs: 26 November and 8 December 2026.
  • Seasonal jobs from this list: referral through PESO Olongapo.
  • DOLE TUPAD emergency employment: ask at PESO or the DOLE Zambales Field Office.
  • SSS unemployment benefit: half of the average monthly salary credit for up to two months. It applies only once the employer has ended the employment, not during a temporary suspension. Needs a DOLE certification; file through My.SSS.
  • Vacancies nationwide: philjobnet.gov.ph
Loans, training, livelihood
  • Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan and SSS salary loan for members with enough contributions. Calamity loans need a declared state of calamity, which has not been reported.
  • TESDA scholarships for short courses: tesda.gov.ph
  • DOLE livelihood starter kits (DILP): through DOLE Zambales or PESO.