Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 797)
The primary function of the Ministry of Labor and Employment is the development of employment opportunities, the protection of workers, and the promotion of industrial peace.
The Minister of Labor and Employment shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) was created to handle the overseas employment of Filipino workers.
The POEA has original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases, including money claims, involving employer-employee relations arising out of any law or contract involving Filipino workers for overseas employment, including seamen.
The Ministry supervises and controls the following: Bureau of Local Employment, Bureau of Labor Relations, Bureau of Working Conditions, Bureau of Rural Workers, Bureau of Women and Minors, and the Institute of Labor and Manpower Studies.
Entities under administrative supervision include the National Labor Relations Commission, National Wages Council, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, and Welfare Fund for Overseas Workers.
The abolished agencies include: Bureau of Employment Services, Bureau of Apprenticeship, Free Legal Assistance Office, National Seamen Board, Overseas Employment Development Board, and Population/Family Planning Office.
The Board is composed of three members: the Minister of Labor and Employment as Chairman, the Administrator, and a third member appointed by the President who must be well versed in overseas employment, serving a two-year term.
The Bureau of Labor Standards is renamed the Bureau of Working Conditions and it also assumes functions of the Institute of Occupational Health and Safety.
The Minister of Labor and Employment has the authority to reorganize the internal structure of the Ministry and its various offices and units.