CENTRAL Luzon’s Public Employment Services Offices (PESOs) in Central Luzon were able to place 98,460 jobseekers for local and overseas work which recorded an astonishing placement rate of almost 100 percent over 98,463 referred applicants this year.
During the recently concluded 2018 PESO Mid-Year Performance Assessment (PESO-MYPA) with the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Technical Support and Services Division for Employment and Welfare head Alejandro Inza Cruz said that the agency already hit the 81 percent target rate.
“Will all cylinders in full blast, the DOLE and PESO tandem has set another milestone in providing for more employment opportunities to ensure more our job seekers land decent jobs. Our latest scorecard already hit the mark it terms of target completion and that we already surpassed the Bureau of Local Employment’s (BLEs) 81 percent placement rate target,” Inza Cruz said.
Another employment facilitation activity initiated by the Dole and PESOs is the conduct of 53 job fairs within provinces, cities, and municipalities all over the region. Of the 53 job fairs, Inza Cruz reported, around six region-wide job fairs were facilitated in observance of the Labor Day and Independence Day festivities. All national and local job fairs adopted the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) Concept forged between the Dole and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Labor Statistician Andre Josef Bustos for his part, reported that some 22,312 poor but deserving students were provided short-term employment opportunities through the SPES, which stands for Special Program for the Employment of Students.
“As of August 2018, P34,147,574.17 SPES-funds, representing government’s share for payment of salaries of SPES-beneficiaries, have already been released/paid to some 9,938 students upon completing their requirements. The remaining share, on the other hand, were shouldered by the Dole’s SPES-partners from participating local government units and private firms,” Bustos explained.
Bustos also reported that some 699 youth beneficiaries comprising college graduates/undergraduates, tech-voch, and high school graduates were engaged in government work under the Dole Government Internship Program (GIP). Our Dole GIP intern-beneficiaries were engaged in government work assigned to various LGUs, public schools, and other government agencies.”
On livelihood provision, some 2,712 marginalized individuals comprising ambulant vendors, parents, farmers, women, youths, and persons with disabilities were provided livelihood assistance/projects amounting to P27,323,635. Livelihood projects include Nego Karts, Starter Kits, Community-based Enterprises, Common Service Facility, Training cum Production, and Dole Adjustment Measurement Program (AMP), among others.
Inza Cruz noted that all funded livelihood interventions and enhancements were sourced from the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) and centrally-managed funds.
Another important highlight of this year’s MYPA is the Orientation on the DOLE Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF), which aims to institutionalize the program on DILP-funded projects. Aside from this, the SPES Integrated Manual of Operations (IMO) and important reminders for its year-round implementation were also tackled and highlighted.
Meanwhile, Dole Regional Director Zenaida Angara-Campita reported to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III that around 145 delegates comprised of PESO managers/personnel from various PESOs all over the region attended the two-day mid-year performance and planning assessment in measuring the PESOs’ mid-year scorecards held at the Harvest Hotel in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. Officials and members of the Central Luzon Career Guidance Network (CL-CGN) were also in full-force as regular mainstays in various PESO assemblies.
Campita, who was present to oversee the assessment, commended and took the opportunity to thank the PESOs for their valuable contribution in achieving high scorecards for the mid-year.
“I know how challenging it is working under the PESO and performing various employment facilitation duties, having started my career with the Bureau of Local Employment, a bureau of the Labor Department which has strong ties with the PESOs,” Campita said.
“At the wake of our mid-year performance assessment, I would like to commend and thank each and every one of you for your dedication to ensure that we enable more people to have jobs or livelihood projects. Rest assure we will continue to provide our support and assistance in achieving our goals,” she added. (PR)