BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance establishing barangay employment service hotlines and internet (BESHI) in all barangays in the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Lilia A. Fariñas stated that all barangays shall establish their barangay employment service hotlines and internet in their respective barangay halls for residents to be able to call or connect to in case they need the services of laborer’s, who will be made available through the registration of their names, addresses, contact numbers, and other pertinent information regarding their qualifications.
The ordinance added that barangay residents should be given priority to laborers within the scope of their barangays, however, if there are no available laborers, the barangay may contact the nearest adjoining barangays for available laborers in their area and engage their services, provided that, the said laborers to be employed from other barangays are registered in their own barangays and that clients shall be informed of the said facts.
Further, laborers who are willing to offer their servicc3es to barangay residents shall register in their respective barangays to make known that they are willing to avail of the BESHI provisions submitting certified true copies of their names, ages, sex, 2×2 photo; address; contact numbers; skills; certificates or licenses if any; police and other related clearances; valid identification card and character references; answer a standard questionnaire for other personal information such as, but not limited to whether they have disabilities, heart ailments or other medical conditions, allergies, criminal records, and other data that may be deemed necessary to establish their integrity and competence; pay a registration fee of P100 which will be good for one year from the time of registration and renewable every year thereafter; laborers who wish to register with other barangays may do so as long as they are first registered in their own barangays and are willing to go through the same procedure of registration, including paying the corresponding fee to the barangays of their choice; registration fees may only be used for the payment of telephone and internet services, text or call charges in communicating with clients and laborers or barangay personnel services; laborers who may be accepted by barangays may include, but are not limited to carpenters, arsons, plumbers, electricians, electronic repair services, housemaids or helpers, nurses or caregivers, masseurs or massage therapists, automotive mechanics, gardeners, baby sitters or child minders, and other services and salaries and labor charges are to be declared in their registration forms but are subject to negotiations between the laborer and the client, but may be reviewed according to standard rates prescribed by the labor department and pursuant to the minimum wage law, depending on the nature of their skills and qualifications.
Under the proposed ordinance, the local government shall allocate a one-time appropriation of P3,072,000.00 to pay for telephone and internet connections for every barangay and a one year subscription thereat, which is equivalent to P2,000 for the city’s 128 barangays for 12 months and that the barangays shall be responsible in maintaining the said telephone and internet services after one year.
By Dexter A. See
