DUMAGUETE CITY, June 12 -- Hundreds of beneficiaries received financial assistance and employment opportunities during the 128th Philippine Independence Day celebration held Friday at a shopping mall here.

The event, led by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Negros Oriental, featured a Kalayaan Job Fair offering some 1,400 local and overseas job vacancies, along with payouts under various government assistance programs.

DOLE distributed benefits under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), and the Workers Organization Development Program Plus (WODP-Plus).

A total of 100 students received partial wage payments of about PHP4,000 each u...