Local government urged to address labor, employment concerns

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) has called on local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas to take lead in addressing labor and employment concerns in their locality by strengthening the Public Employment Service Office (Peso).

Dole Regional Director Forter Puguon said 98 percent of LGUs in the region have Peso managers but support system has been weak with many of them having no office space, permanent positions, and funding to push through various activities.

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“We will be stepping up our technical support to LGUs this 2012. We have been bracing with closer partnership with LGUs through their Peso managers to expand their reach in terms of addressing labor and employment concerns in their area,” Puguon said.

He added that for this year, their thrust is to give emphasis on institutionalization of Peso by creating a regular position and providing budget through a local ordinance formally creating the office. Currently, only the Provincial Government of Northern Samar has approved an ordinance formalizing Peso.

Under Republic Act 8759 signed into law in 1999, LGUs are mandated to maintain Peso offices, which will be community-based.

“It will be a mini-Dole office of every province, city, and town in the region. What the Dole is doing for the workers can be done by LGUs and it will be best done in the local level,” Puguon said.

Peso is expected to provide a venue where people could explore simultaneously various employment options and actually seek assistance they prefer; serve as referral and information center for the various services and programs of Dole and other government agencies present in the area; provide clients with adequate information on employment and labor market situation in the area; and network with other Peso offices within the region on employment for job exchange purposes.

Among the functions of Peso managers are gathering of job vacancy listing from local firms, job matching, training and counseling to job seekers, provide access to livelihood programs, provide assistance to returning overseas workers, conduct jobs fairs, and promotion of labor standards.

“Unfortunately, the LGUs are not doing this for their residents prompting us to strengthening the Peso. If every LGU will address labor and employment needs, we will be able to implement the policy directive of President Aquino that during his administration, we will be able to create more local employment opportunities and less workers will go abroad,” Puguon claimed.

The Dole official added that Peso managers can also help curb labor mismatch by maintaining their own local market information to guide students and jobseekers.

The official said they will go around the region this year to revive Peso functions as a strategy to maintain high employment rate in Eastern Visayas, which is now at 95.4 percent. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)