Legarda seeks upgrade of PESO for more job opportunities

By: Dennis Gutierrez - 3 years ago

Three-term Senator and Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda

MANILA, Philippines — Senatorial candidate Loren Legarda wants to have the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) upgraded to generate more job opportunities.

The Deputy House Speaker filed House Bill 631 to add entrepreneurship onto the existing functions of the 1999 PESO Act.

Through the bill, PESO offices shall be renamed the Public Employment and Entrepreneurship Service Office (PEESO), while similar offices, known as the Barangay Employment and Entrepreneurship Service Office (BEESO), will be established at the barangay level.

Legarda said the upgrade seeks to offer employment and entrepreneurship opportunities tailored to each job seeker through various training and consultations.

“While the creation of more jobs remains to be the main strategy in resolving our unemployment and underemployment problems, facilitating the matching of job seekers and available job opportunities is critical in achieving optimal allocation and distribution of labor in the shortest possible time,” Legarda said in a statement.

Loren Legarda (FILE)

“The creation of BEESO will provide a more efficient system that would facilitate and regulate labor market by bridging the gap between the job seekers and employers, especially our rural workforce.”

According to Legarda, for the amendment to be effective, PESO officers in local government units should take a more proactive role as local employment policy advisers, employment creation managers, and training managers.

The Barangay level counterparts should ensure those job seekers from distant areas will have the needed information on the currently available jobs, entrepreneurship training, and consultations in the labor market.

“Promotion of entrepreneurship will not only hone the skills of every Filipino but will also encourage self-employment opportunities and generate more jobs and income,” Legarda said.

“Moreover, having BEESO officers in every barangay all over the country will augment job matching and guarantee that all job seekers will be provided with service and assistance they need to land a job.”