BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance creating the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) of the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Joel Alangsab noted that the PESO of the local government under the City Mayor’s Office was created by virtue of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the local government and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Under the proposed ordinance, a unit or division will be created under the City Mayor’s Office to be known as the City Public Employment Services Office wherein it will be a declared policy of the local government its strong commitment to provide full and equal employment opportunities to its constituents through the PESO.
The ordinance stipulated that the PESO shall be supervised by a PESO Manager with an official position title of Supervising Labor and Employment officer with a salary equivalent to Salary Grade (SG) 22 and shall be complimented by a Labor Employment Officer III with SG-16, Labor and Employment Officer I with SG-11, Labor and Employment Assistant with SG-8, Administrative Aide VI or clerk III with SG-6, Administrative Aide III or Utility Worker II with SG-3, 4 Administrative Aide III or Clerk I with SG-3 among other required positions.
The ordinance added the PESO will be tasked to encourage employers to submit to the PESO on a regular basis, a list of vacancies in their establishments to facilitate the exchange of labor market; develop and administer testing and evaluation instruments for effective job selection, training and counselling; provide persons with entrepreneurship qualities access to the various livelihood and self-employment programs offered by both government and non-government organizations at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels; undertake employability enhancement trainings or seminars for job seekers as well as those who would like to change career or enhance their employability; provide employment or occupational counselling, career guidance, mass motivation and values development activities; conduct pre-employment counselling and orientation to prospective local and most especially overseas workers; provide re-integration assistance services to each returning Filipino migrant workers; prepare and submit to the local legislative body an annual employment plan and budget, including other regular funding sources and budgetary support of the PESO, and perform such functions as to fully carry out the objectives of existing labor laws, rules and regulations.
The ordinance explained the maintenance and other operating expenses that may arise for efficient and effective implementation of PESO programs shall be maintained under the annual budget of the City Mayor’s Office and the sum appropriated for the year 2018 for the operation of the PESO which was included in the annual budget of the City Mayor’s Office be adjusted as the need arises.
It is a declared policy of the State to promote full and equal employment opportunities for all, thus Republic Act (RA) 8759 otherwise known as the Public Employment Services Office Act of 1999, as amended by RA 10691 otherwise known as an Act Defining the Roles of the Department of Labor and Employment, the Local Government Units, and Accredited Non-Government Organizations in the Establishment of the PESO and Operation of the Same, were enacted. By Dexter A. See
