QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 10691)
RA 10691 amends specific sections (Sections 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9) of RA 8759, the “Public Employment Service Office Act of 1999.” It clarifies the roles of DOLE, LGUs, and accredited NGOs/EIs in establishing and operating PESOs and job placement offices.
A PESO must be established in all provinces, cities, and municipalities and operated/maintained by the LGUs. The PESO is linked to DOLE regional offices for coordination and technical supervision and to DOLE central office to form a national public employment service network.
The PESO shall be under the office of the governor, city mayor, or municipal mayor.
The PESO shall be initially organized by the LGU and composed of a PESO manager, who may be assisted by a Labor and Employment Officer (LEO) as the LGU may determine.
Upon the request of accredited NGOs or EIs, DOLE may enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the NGO to establish/operate/maintain a PESO and for the EI to establish/operate/maintain a job placement office.
To harmonize employment services within a territorial jurisdiction, the PESO at NGOs and the job placement office in EIs must coordinate their activities with the appropriate LGU PESO.
Examples include: (a) encouraging employers to submit job vacancies for labor market information; (b) developing/testing evaluation instruments for job selection, training, and counseling; (c) referring persons with entrepreneurship qualities to livelihood/self-employment programs; (d) conducting employability enhancement trainings/seminars; (e) providing employment/occupational counseling and career guidance; (f) pre-employment counseling for local and especially overseas workers; (g) reintegration assistance for returning migrant workers; (h) preparing and submitting an annual employment plan and budget to the local sanggunian; among others.
It requires PESOs to undertake holistic strategies, programs, and activities to transform into a modern public employment service intermediary providing multi-dimensional employment facilitation services.
DOLE is responsible for: (a) technical supervision, coordination, and capacity-building; (b) establishing and maintaining computerized human resource and job registries and job clearance systems; (c) providing technical assistance and allied support services including training; (d) setting standards for establishment/operation and qualification standards for PESO personnel; (e) extending packages of employment services to LGUs/NGOs/EIs (e.g., job fairs, career development seminars); and (f) monitoring, assessing, and evaluating PESO performance including job placement offices in EIs.
Job seekers (particularly the unemployed) must register at the PESO for employment facilitation assistance. Establishments must submit job vacancies and applicants hired to the PESO to ensure accurate supply-demand information in the labor market.
The LGU monitoring system requires reporting: (1) the present number and nature of jobs; and (2) the projection of jobs the establishment will provide/offer in the next five (5) years.
The information is submitted to the PESO for job matching and to EIs’ job placement offices for career guidance of students.
The concerned LGU must: (i) operate and maintain the PESO; (ii) ensure compliance with DOLE operational standards; (iii) extend assistance/services necessary for employment promotion within its jurisdiction; and (iv) submit periodic performance and accomplishment reports to DOLE.
The operation and maintenance of the PESO are provided by the LGU from its internal revenue allotment and other internally generated income. The operation and maintenance of NGO PESOs and job placement offices in EIs are charged against their own internally generated income.
Funds for technical assistance, training, and supervision of PESOs are included in the DOLE budget in the annual General Appropriations Act.
The Act takes effect after fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.