Reaching Out

THE Department of Labor and Employment or Dole is probably one of the National Government's most active branches, next only perhaps to DSWD and, in some measure, to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. Whew! What a tongue-twisting acronym.

Tasked with the facilitation of job employment, local or overseas, of able-bodied individuals from the labor force, Dole, according to published reports, has placed 1.5 million workers in local employment and has reportedly contributed 210,000 to the 977,791 jobs generated under the Community-Based Employment Program, mainly through the Special Program for the Employment of Students or SPES, which employed in short-term jobs 136,525 students and some 74,097 out-of-school youths, under the Dole Integrated Livelihood Program. For its part, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has reportedly facilitated the deployment of some 1,347,173 workers or 81 percent of the 1.664 million estimated for the year and broken down as 1,080,353 for the land-based and 266,820 for sea-based workers.

By the way, the SPES program is set to start (again) in April this year, through May, just shortly before the 2013 elections.

In Mabalacat City, this writer had initiated the voucher for the payment of 60 percent of the salaries of the 2012 participants as early as May, but it seems no payment has been made yet.

In the December 16, 2012 issue of the Philippine Panorama, it was cited that the Dole has implemented a massive information and education drive on all available Labor Market Information or LMI, in order to address the recurring problems of unemployment and job mismatch. Indeed, schools churn out thousands of graduates every year, but the problem lies in the mismatch of skills (or none of it) and the job positions being offered.

Toward this end, Dole has developed and disseminated 127 Career Guides in order "to provide timely and accurate signals on jobs and skills in demand and shortages."

The Dole continues to implement programs and services toward "enhancing the quality and global competitiveness of the Filipino workforce and is in sync with the standards set forth by the International Labor Organization and other prestigious international labor affiliates. It has continued to reach out to people in rural areas who are willing to be tapped and included in the workforce.

--oo0oo--

I have for review the draft of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) by and between the Department of Labor and Employment, represented by its Secretary, the Honorable Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, Peso, represented by Ms. Elizabeth Alonzo and the Golden Arches Development Corporation, the holder of the MacDonald's license in the Philippines. In the said MoA, the tripartite party aims to participate in the SPES program mandated by Republic Act No. 9547 in order to support poor but deserving students, including out-of-school youth intending to enrol, "pursue their education by encouraging their "employment" through granting of incentives to employers who would partner with the Dole in the implementation of the program." This is a relevant program and thus it should not be taken for granted. 

--oo0oo--

Kudos to the new Angeles City Engineer Tito Salvador who is based at the sub-office in Pampang. I can see that the new engineer is an asset to the city government's planning, engineering and infrastructure programs.