Barangay Day-as councilor Nickelito Dingal
He can’t walk normally, but he can talk intelligently. Today, Nickelito Dingal, 45, will take on a new job – a call center agent.
Dingal, a barangay councilman in Cebu City, moves around with the help of a walker after he lost the use of his feet in an accident 24 years ago. A wooden beam of a store collapsed and mangled his feet.
Last Saturday, he and 46 other people with disabilities (PWD) trooped to a job fair in the Ayala Mall. He gained the distinction as the only one hired on the spot. 10 others were scheduled for interview. The rest were not as lucky.
Dingal will start his training as a call center agent today. He was one of the few physically challenged people who joined the special job fair last Saturday.
Yesterday he checked out his new workplace and made a “dry run” on how he’ll get to work.
The 45-year-old said it is important for him to familiarize himself with his route because of his physical limitations.
Hezekiah Castro, recruitment officer of the ePerformax, a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm, said they hired Dingal because of his intelligence.
Dingal graduated from Cebu Doctors’ University with a degree in Biology. He is now on his second term as councilman of barangay Day-as.
“He really has potential and his experience also is a plus to us. Though he is physically disabled, his intelligence and how he speaks is what matters,” said Castro.
Myka Tansingco, focal person for PWD Cebu province said that jobs needed were in the utilities and call centers.
“This is a great help to them to prove that they are not left out because of their disability. We are giving them a chance to get a job and earn for themselves and for their family. We should never underestimate them,” Tansingco said in Bisaya.
Several BPO companies, restaurants, utilities firms joined last Saturday’s job fair for PWDs.
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